Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is putting an anticipated $600,000 year-end surplus toward disaster relief in areas of the state hurt by severe weather and tornadoes last month.
A House panel on Tuesday proposed $1 billion in emergency disaster relief money to ensure that aid to tornado and flood victims in the South and Midwest doesn't run dry.
Gov. Bob McDonnell will appeal denials by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of disaster assistance for Virginians affected by a series of strong tornadoes in April, his office said Tuesday.
The government has your cell phone number, and it's going to send you text messages whether you like it or not. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski joined Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate in New York City on Tuesday to announce a multimillion dollar federal program that, in theory, will notify mobile phone users in times of grave emergency. Like so many Washington-centric ideas, this one was obsolete long before it got off the drawing board.
The U.S. government and local authorities will soon be able to reach people directly on their cellphones to warn them of imminent danger or alert them about missing children _ even in the middle of a widespread emergency that overloads communications systems as happened after the Sept. 11 attacks, officials said Tuesday.
Though FEMA administrator Craig Fugate has been quick to remind anyone who will listen that the states are in charge of responding to the series of massively powerful tornadoes that ripped across Alabama and other parts of the South, his office has also been making sure everyone knows what his agency is up to with a flurry of press releases outlining each step.
Federal disaster relief offices are helping people navigate the red tape of applying for aid, and shelters are providing free haircuts and eye clinics as part of the massive relief effort that was in full swing Monday in tornado-ravaged Alabama.
Congratulations - your tax payment is probably your biggest purchase of the year. The federal tax burden now amounts to more than $20,000 per household, according to Internal Revenue Service data. Your contribution to the Treasury coffers will permit Uncle Sam to bankroll public services such as:
Amid all the drama in the Japanese nuclear cri- sis, a problem is emerging for evacuating American families whose breadwinners work for the U.S. military or federal government. Even though U.S. policy allows pets to be evacuated, some are being told they must leave Fido behind. In other cases, the definition of a pet or other red tape is getting in the way - kitties are government-approved pets, bunnies are not. In some cases, families have been told pets left behind will be euthanized.
