Resources You Can Use

LIHEAP is a federally funded program administered by PA DHS.  It helps financially qualified Pennsylvanians pay their residential heating bills from November 2024 through April 4, 2025.  LIHEAP assistance is distributed directly to a household’s utility company or home heating fuel provider. Individuals or households do not have to repay assistance, and these grants are not considered income for tax purposes.  The minimum LIHEAP cash grant is $200.  The maximum is $1,000. Individuals and households may only receive one cash grant per LIHEAP season.
    Households must apply for LIHEAP each year.  Whether an individual’s or family’s application was previously approved or denied, DHS encourages them to apply for the 2024-25 season. Financial eligibility depends on having an annual income at or below 150% of the federal poverty limit. For example, a single adult can have a gross income of $22,590 per year, while a family of four is allowed to have a gross income up to $46,800.
    To apply for LIHEAP (and other public assistance programs) Pennsylvanians are encouraged to call ☎️866-550-4355 or visit www.dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS.  More information about LIHEAP is available on the DHS website.

Hurricane Post Landfall Resources.  FEMA and the federal family are closely working with governments and communities to respond to the hurricanes. Follow directions from local officials to stay safe, as rainfall and flooding continue through multiple states.  Click HERE to Learn More

Are you prepared to evacuate?

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Read the November edition of Ready PA monthly.

Read the December edition of Ready PA Monthly.

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Discover eight essential ways individuals with disabilities can increase their resilience to disasters. From creating a support network and ensuring access to medical support to planning for power outages and building an emergency kit, this blog will provide practical tips to help individuals with disabilities and their caregivers effectively prepare for and navigate before, during and after disasters.  Read the full blog and become more disaster resilient by visiting FEMA.gov.

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As climate change continues to impact disaster frequency and intensity, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) explored disaster resilience bills enacted by state legislatures in 2023. This report analyzes over 600 bills enacted across all 50 states. Inspired by FEMA’s Community Lifelines, the bill categories included Funding, Energy, Communications, Transportation, Safety & Security, Health & Medical, Food & Water, Housing, Hazardous Materials, Land Use, Governance, and Equity. Funding, Governance, and Safety & Security emerged as the most common legislative issues, relating to 55, 37, and 27 percent of disaster bills, respectively. California and Texas led the nation with 61 and 39 bills, respectively. Colorado, Oregon, and Florida were nearly as active, with 32, 29, and 29 bills. Learn more.

The American Meteorological Society has released State of the Climate in 2023, an international, peer-reviewed publication. According to the report, greenhouse gas concentrations, the global temperature across land and the ocean, global sea level, and ocean heat content all reached record highs in 2023.  Read the report.

New York Disaster Interfaith Services’ (NYDIS) free Disaster & Religions App is a religious literacy resource designed to help faith and community leaders, first responders, disaster service professionals, and neighbors competently engage with and care for people of faith of all backgrounds in a crisis settings. Get the app using the QR codes above!

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Disaster Research Response Program has produced resources pertaining to children and disasters.

    Here are resources from other organization:

Planning to power Up your Important life-enabling devices.

Do you use battery-operated communication devices, hearing aids, or mobility equipment? Do you have respiratory devices like a suction or CPAP machine? Does your medication or nutritional formula require refrigeration? Start thinking about all the ways you rely on access to electricity. Click here for important information on Addressing Power Needs in Your Emergency Plan.

Help for Veterans

The PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has a program – “Individual Grant Application for Veterans – Temporary Assistance (VTA).” To be eligible an applicant must have served in the Armed Forces, including the reserves, and discharged under Honorable Conditions; was Killed In Action; OR suffered a service-connected disability.  The applicant must demonstrate an immediate need for financial assistance to provide himself/herself and his/her family with the necessities of living.  The applicant must be a current resident of PA.  Upon the death of a veteran, his or her unmarried surviving spouse is eligible provided the Veteran would have qualified for assistance prior to her/his death.  Get a copy of the application.

Disability Rights PA “Rights of People with Disabilities in an Emergency” fact sheets

  1. Evacuation Plan Inclusion and Accessibility; 2) Effective Notification and Communication for People with Disabilities; 3) Access to Shelter and Temporary Housing; 4) Access to Healthcare, Social Services, and Recovery Services; 5) Respiratory virus; 6) Health promotion

Click here for the DHS webpage.

The PA Department of Human Services has a new website for Mass Care. You can read about the Task Forces and other resources available to support mass care needs in the Commonwealth at www.dhs.pa.gov/MassCare.

FEMA Shelter Text Messaging Resource
To search for shelters near you, text SHELTER and the ZIP code to 43362 (e.g. Shelter 12345). You may look up shelters any time through the American Red Cross shelter map or by downloading the FEMA App.

INSURANCE RESOURCES

United Policy Holders has these resources:

There is a New Video in the UP Preparedness Library: Home insurance tips to stay protected and be a savvy consumer! Watch the video here.

Do you need up-to-date travel information?

Do you know that you can get information on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting 511PA.  511PA is free and available 24 hours a day; it provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Implicit Bias

The Office of Health Equity in the PA Department of Health has developed an Implicit Bias Toolkit. This is toolkit, which is intended for those working in healthcare settings, can provide a lot of great resources and information surrounding the reduction of implicit and explicit bias in our work as well. You can find the toolkit at Implicit Bias Toolkit. Other useful resources can be found online to help you consider the manifestation and impact of biases in our daily lives. One example is Harvard University’s Project Implicit.

AARP PREPAREDNESS RESOURCE CENTER

To help people and communities prepare for potential weather disasters, AARP has launched a PREPAREDNESS Resource Center at aarp.org/disasterprep, where you can find information on

  • Emergency repose information tailored to older adults;
  • A list of everything that should be packed in a emergency escape kit;
  • Apps and gadgets that can help keep you safe in a disaster;
  • Details on staying in communication with state and local authorities;
  • How to keep you pets safe in a disaster.

SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM

The Senior Food Box Program supplements low-income seniors’ diets with nutritious food, including non-fat dry and shelf-stable fluid milk, juice, oats, ready-to-eat cereal, rice, pasta, dry beans, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry, fish and canned fruits and vegetables. To participate, individuals must be at least 60 years old and meet income eligibility guidelines. A single senior’s annual income may not exceed $18,954, and the income for a couple is capped at $25,636. Seniors who would like to participate should call ☎️800-468-2433 to be directed to the regional food bank distributing the Senior Food Box in their county of residence. Learn more here.

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