TAMPA, Fla.–Credit unions along Florida’s west coast as well as those in North Central Florida and the east coast of the U.S. from Jacksonville north through the Carolinas are being are being urged to prepare now for the arrival of Tropical Storm Idalia, which could strengthen into a hurricane as it heads north along the gulf coast.
The White House said President Biden spoke to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and has approved an emergency declaration for Florida as it prepares for the storm. The federal National Response Coordination Center has also been fully activated to support any requests for federal assistance. President Biden said Florida will have his full support as they prepare for Idalia and its aftermath.
According to the federal government, Incident Management Assistance Teams are deployed to the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee and an additional IMAT is enroute to FEMA Region 4 in Atlanta to remain on standby to support any affected areas. Additional teams are also on standby to support as needed, the government said.
Search & Rescue Teams
“Urban Search and Rescue teams have activated and will be ready to respond starting tonight as well,” the White House said. “A FEMA Staging Management Team is at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and FEMA’s Atlanta distribution warehouse center is fully stocked with commodities that ready to transfer to the state if requested once the storm passes.”
FEMA said it is also closely coordinating Georgia and South Carolina and stands ready to provide support as needed.
FEMA is encouraging people to visit www.Ready.gov or www.Listo.gov for information on preparedness.
Continued Support for Hawaii
Meanwhile, as residents and credit unions in Maui work to recover from the wildfires, the federal government said morethan 830 federal personnel are on the ground on the island assisting residents. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration said it has approved $15.5 million in assistance to more than 4,100 households.
Credit unions can make donations to help Maui’s CUs and members through the National Credit Union Foundation’s CU Aid here.