Deadline Nears for Nonprofit Sandy Claims

FEMA may reimburse up to 75 percent of storm-related expenses.

The deadline is approaching for nonprofits to claim federal aid for expenses related to Superstorm Sandy. The late-October storm drenched the mid-Atlantic. Nonprofits like volunteer fire companies must submit paperwork to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by Feb. 2. FEMA funding is only available for expenses incurred between Oct. 26 and Nov. 4. According to a Baltimore County news release, nonprofits must prove at least $1,000 in storm expenses, and will have 60 days to send in lists of storm damages and expenses. Up to 75 percent of storm expenses—including generators, repairs and tools—can be reimbursed. For more information and copies of FEMA's forms, residents can contact Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and …

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Presidential Declaration Devotes Federal Resources to MD

Sen. Ben Cardin announced a presidential declaration that gives Maryland federal aid and Gov. Martin O’Malley urged Maryland citizens to stay off the roads Monday at a press conference at MEMA.

President Barack Obama signed a pre-landfall state of emergency declaration for Maryland. The declaration provides federal resources from FEMA and Health and Human Services to state aid, Sen. Ben Cardin announced at a press conference at Maryland Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Reisterstown Sunday night. “Federal partners are here at your request,” he said. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are working alongside state agencies at MEMA’s emergency operations center, which is fully staffed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. Federal employees from Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, Indiana and Kansas have come to Maryland’s aid, Cardin said. Military …

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Storm Surge, Inland Flooding Expected From Sandy

Federal officials say the slow moving storm will cause problems over large part of the East Coast through the middle of the week.

Federal officials warn Maryland residents to prepare for heavy winds, inland and coastal flooding and power outages from Hurricane Sandy. The storm, which is expected to come ashore somewhere along the East Coast late Sunday into early Monday, is anticipated to affect 50-60 million people along the East Coast, from the Carolinas to New England and extending west into West Virgina and the Ohio Valley. Flooding, for now, is the main focus of forecasters and federal disaster response agencies, according to Louis Uccellini, director the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center For Environmental Prediction. Uccellini said the "extent of heavy rainfall has a danger of flooding for Pennsylvania and Maryland and into northern …

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Obama Signs Emergency Declaration for Maryland as Hurricane Irene Approaches

Baltimore County and City and seven other counties are affected by declaration.

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Maryland Saturday afternoon as the first rain bands of Hurricane Irene reached the Baltimore metropolitan area. The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in the state. Baltimore, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester and Baltimore City are affected by the declaration, which brings with it federal money to help pay for local responses to the storm.

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Your Hurricane Irene Dashboard

Here are some guidelines for keeping safe in case the hurricane affects the D.C./Baltimore area, including advice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Baltimore County Office of Emergency Management in Towson.

The rain we're experiencing today has nothing to do with Hurricane Irene, a category three hurricane, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Ocean City, MD, officials have ordered an emergency evacuation by midnight of the resort town. Gov. Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency. Irene could hit the Baltimore area as a tropical storm on Sunday.  To find out where Irene is now, and get details about the storm, visit the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center. As of 8 a.m. today, Irene's probable path could touch the southern tip of the Virginia coast, as well as Maryland's Eastern Shore, on Sunday as a hurricane, according to the website. At 2 p.m., that storm is expected to hit in and near Maryland at …

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FEMA Asks Public to Use Email, Texting for the Next Few Hours

Overuse of cell phones is causing service problems.

STATEMENT FROM FEMA SPOKESPERSON RACHEL RACUSEN on the earthquake that impacted the Mid-Atlantic Region and other states today: "According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the mid Atlantic Region of the United States experienced a 5.9 magnitude earthquake. "FEMA, along with the entire federal family, is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact and coordination with our partners in the National Capital Region and our state partners. "Though there are no early reports of major damage or requests for assistance at this time, preliminary damage assessments are currently taking place in all affected states and we will continue to work closely with their emergency management officials.  "Due to overload of cell phone …