Preparing for Hurricane Matthew: Assisting Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Preparing for Hurricane Matthew: Assisting Persons Experiencing Homelessness Hurricane Matthew, currently heading toward Florida’s east coast, is projected to be a powerful and dangerous storm. Individuals and families who remain on the street, in encampments, or other unsheltered locations are extremely vulnerable, and may be unable to evacuate or move to shelters without assistance. Some might not be aware of the severity of the storm. HUD strongly encourages Continuums of Care (CoCs) and other organizations in the affected areas to outreach to unsheltered persons in encampments and other locations to help them move into shelters before the hurricane hits. CoCs can also reach out to their local or state emergency management offices and the Red Cross for assistance and guidance. To find open shelters, go to the Red Cross Shelter Finder or download the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mobile app (designed for phones and tablets). The FEMA app has disaster safety tips, an interactive emergency kit list, storable emergency meeting locations, and a map with open shelters and open FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs).   As part of HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) technical assistance (TA), CoCs and grantees can request TA to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a major disaster. Please submit any requests for Technical Assistance via the HUD Exchange. To submit a request for TA through the HUD Exchange TA Portal, use the Request Program Assistance page on the HUD Exchange. Please be sure to follow the Steps for Requesting and Receiving In-Depth Program Assistance included on the page. If you need to contact your local CPD Director, especially for longer-term recovery, you can find contact information at the CPD Field Office Directory. The HUD Atlanta Region 4 Office phone number is (404) 331-5136. Note that HUD offices in Miami and Jacksonville, Florida are closed Thursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7, for Hurricane Matthew, and all HUD offices are closed on Monday, October 13, for the Federal holiday. Ways to stay informed: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Visit FEMA on Facebook and Twitter Sign up for FEMA email alerts during a disaster Sign up for FEMA’s Daily Situation Report View the FEMA Social HUB to view emergency social media sources View FEMA's Data Feeds National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Visit the National Weather Center on Facebook and Twitter Visit the Weather Prediction Center on Facebook View NOAA’s Data Feed   Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emergency Response and Preparedness Visit the CDC on Facebook and the Emergency Response and Preparedness Twitter page View the CDC’s Data Feeds For more information: DisasterAssistance.gov offers help for communities and individuals that have been impacted by a disaster.   Ready.gov has additional information and tools to help a community and individuals prepare for a disaster.   HUD’s web page on Disaster Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Homelessness contains several resources to help communities best address homelessness during various phases of a disaster.