Department of Homeland Security November 20, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides financial assistance to State, local, and Tribal governments, as well as certain private non-profit organizations, for response and recovery activities required as a result of a presidentially-declared major disaster or emergency. Assistance may include reimbursement for sheltering and evacuation costs incurred to assist individuals displaced by a declared major disaster or emergency. This rule finalizes the July 2006 interim rule which amended FEMA's Public Assistance eligibility regulations to allow grantees to seek reimbursement for sheltering and evacuation costs incurred outside of the area designated under a Presidential emergency or major disaster declaration, if such costs are otherwise eligible for FEMA Public Assistance. This rule further clarifies those regulations to specify which entities may be eligible for reimbursement for costs incurred from providing evacuation and sheltering services outside the area of the declared emergency or major disaster, and the procedures FEMA will use to reimburse those applicants. The rule also establishes the terms ``impact-State'' and ``host-State'' to differentiate between the State for which the President has issued a declaration and that requests evacuation and/or sheltering assistance, and the State (or Tribe) that provides the sheltering and/or evacuation assistance, respectively. Finally, the rule makes a procedural change to the way in which a host-State receives reimbursement for the regular salary or hourly wages and benefits paid to its permanent employees.

The Coast Guard is establishing two temporary safety zones on the Columbia River to help ensure the safety of the maritime public during blasting and dredging operations taking place near St. Helens, Oregon as well as the movement of explosives for those operations from Portland, Oregon to the work site. The first temporary safety zone is a fixed zone around the area where the blasting and dredging operations will be taking place near St. Helens, Oregon. The second temporary safety zone is a moving zone around the barge KRS 200-6 at any time that it has explosives onboard.