For Immediate Release

Office of Emergency Management releases data on Maria survivors in Philadelphia
Disaster Assistance Services Center will be closed on Thursday and Friday

PHILADELPHIA (November 21, 2017) – The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM) released a snapshot today of Hurricane Maria disaster survivors who have come to Philadelphia as part of their recovery process. This includes a geographic information system (GIS) mapping tool for the public to visualize from where survivors traveled.*

Disaster Assistance Services Center: By the Numbers

  • Number of individuals who have registered at the DASC: 1,284
  • Number of families making up total registrants: 586
  • Number of families originating from Puerto Rico: 584
  • Number of families from U.S. Virgin Islands: 2
  • Busiest week for registering individuals at the DASC: November 13th, 311 people
  • Second busiest week for newly registered individuals: October 23rd, 310 people
  • Highest single day for individuals registering at the DASC: October 25th, 92 people
  • Highest single day for families registering at the DASC: October 27th, 42 families
  • Number of individuals registered as adults**: 507
  • Number of individuals registered as teens or children**: 287
  • Age bracket with highest number of adults**: 18-30 years old
  • Number of children between the ages of 0-12**: 221
  • Week with highest number of individuals arriving in Philadelphia***: 10/23-10/29. 212 total. 162 adults. 50 children
  • Number of families provided medical referrals for issues concerning health: 228
  • Unidos PA PR care packages distributed to individuals and families: 185

*The GIS map is based on zip codes and is not a complete count of all individuals who have come through the assistance center, only those who provided their zip codes.
**Above statistics are through November 17th and are based on voluntary information given when registering in the DASC and may not reflect all individuals who have registered at the DASC.
***Based on date given at time of registration.

OEM, along with city, state, federal, and non-profit organizations, opened a Disaster Assistance Services Center (DASC) October 11th to meet the needs of disaster survivors who travelled to Philadelphia after being displaced by Hurricane Maria. This is the first time the City’s Office of Emergency Management has set up a recovery assistance center without a FEMA declaration in Philadelphia. Without federal funding to operate the DASC and support survivors, the City is relying on nonprofits, City services and programs, community based organizations, and public-private partnerships. As a result, the Disaster Assistance Services Center will be closed this Thursday and Friday, November 23rd and 24th, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

As Pennsylvania was not designated as a host state by FEMA, disaster survivors that chose to come to Philadelphia have self-evacuated and then self-identified as needing assistance by registering at the DASC. Some of the services provided at the DASC include; registering for FEMA Individual Assistance, applying for SNAP and Medicaid, replacement of personal identification and records, providing food and clothing vouchers, mental health counseling, medical referrals such as medication replacement and appointments, and connecting to case management to identify additional needs such as housing.

“Our assistance center has served as a place for people to get back on their feet with the help of organizations as well as family, friends, and sometimes strangers looking to help, “ said Dan Bradley, Director of OEM. “The stories, the show of resiliency among disaster victims along with the desire to help by people in Philadelphia is inspiring and exemplifies how we can come together to help one another,” Bradley added.

Housing is the most pressing need for disaster survivors. FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance voucher program, which utilizes hotels, is a short-term housing option for those who meet requirements. Hotels opt-in and enroll in this program. Hotel businesses in Philadelphia can learn more and enroll by visiting https://ela.corplodging.com/index.php.

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