Sea creatures not tainted with contaminants, U.S. health agencies say
Seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat, officials say, despite fears that the 2005 hurricane season may have dumped dangerous levels of contaminants into fishing grounds.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the finding December 9 after having tested hundreds of samples of fish and shellfish taken from the gulf waters.
Health and Human Services reaches out to distressed hurricane survivors
Up to 500,000 people affected by hurricanes on the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005 might be suffering mental health distress, and U.S. health agencies are reaching out to help them.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to encourage hurricane survivors to seek mental health services. The campaign was announced December 7 in a press release.
Agency has provided affected households nearly $4.4 billion to help rebuild
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a fact sheet November 15 updating recovery efforts for areas along the U.S. Gulf Coast stricken by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in late August and early September.
Among the results achieved thus far, FEMA reports that 99 percent of the 321,000 evacuees are no longer living in shelters, and that substantial funds have been made available to help those affected with housing needs, damage compensation, and other financial assistance.
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