Tagged: FEMA

Officials say an Alabama town hit by two tornadoes during the April 2011 outbreak is finally approved for federal money to demolish its badly damaged downtown area.

Leaders in the Walker County city of Cordova hope the project can begin moving forward within the next two or three months.

Officials announced the decision today at a meeting of Cordova's long-term recovery committee.

A nine-member team from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency is helping in New York with the recovery effort from Superstorm Sandy.

State EMA Director Art Faulkner said EMA teams from all over the country helped Alabama after the killer tornadoes in April 2011, and Alabama is pleased to return the favor.

The Alabama group is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Joint Field Office in Queens. They are expected to return to Alabama on Nov. 27.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Alabama's governor says five more counties will be eligible for federal aid aimed at helping communities recover from damage caused by Hurricane Isaac.

Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the request.

Bentley had sent a letter to FEMA saying the five counties -- Covington, Dallas, Geneva, Monroe and Perry -- suffered $2.5 million in damage.

A federal judge gave his final approval Thursday to a $42.6 million class-action settlement between companies that made and installed government-issued trailers after hurricanes in 2005 and Gulf Coast storm victims who claim they were exposed to hazardous fumes while living in the shelters.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt ruled from the bench after hearing from attorneys who brokered a deal resolving nearly all remaining court claims over elevated levels of formaldehyde in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The city of Tuscaloosa plans to begin using a system that will warn residents of threats ranging from tornadoes to chemical spills.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a $124,000 grant for the city to implement an early warning system that sends alerts by telephones, pagers and text messages.

City officials say a computer linked to a phone system will send alerts to any resident who signs up for the service.

The system is similar to one that the University of Alabama uses to send alerts to students and staff members during an emergency.