INDIANAPOLIS (July 7, 2008) - Governor Mitch Daniels has created the Office of Disaster Recovery to lead the state's efforts to repair and rebuild following the series of storms that struck much of Indiana in late May and early June. Andy Miller, the director of the state Department of Agriculture, will be assigned to manage the activities of the office.
"We have to do as competent a job of helping victims and communities recover as Hoosiers did responding to the immediate dangers of the disaster," said Daniels. "We don't want a single person or town to miss a deadline or an opportunity to receive assistance for which they're eligible."
Deadlines for individual and public assistance are approaching. Many people referred to the Small Business Administration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have not returned their loan applications. The deadline to do so is August 11. Likewise, public assistance deadlines for the first 26 counties approved for that category of assistance are July 21.
Daniels has signed Executive Order 08-15 to create the office, which will represent the governor in coordinating state agency storm relief efforts with the federal government as well as with other public and private entities and local governments.
Efforts will focus on long-term recovery plans and polices for:
- Obtaining the maximum amount of federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts by individuals, businesses, state agencies, and local units of government
- Exercising the necessary operational authority in recovery effort decisions on behalf of the state.
- Providing technical assistance, education and outreach to local governments and private organizations working on recovery efforts at the community level
- Developing a final report to the governor on the response and recovery efforts including recommendations for the future based on lessons learned during this experience.
While Miller is on assignment, the governor has named Ken Klemme, the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture, to serve as acting director.
There is no fixed timeframe for the operations of the office. The Indiana Office of Disaster Recovery is similar to one in Mississippi created to help the state rebuild after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
Shortly after the severe weather struck the state, Daniels directed that the state establish "one-stop" disaster assistance centers in areas most affected by storms and flooding. Those centers, the first of their kind, put storm victims directly in touched with needed state services such as the Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Workforce Development, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and others, under one roof. In most locations, the state co-located with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A copy of the executive order may be found at: http://www.in.gov/gov/files/Press/EO_08_15.pdf
Audio from today's announcement can be found here:
http://www.in.gov/gov/files/Audio/070708_Media_Availability.mp3
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