Disaster Assistance Tops $8 Million 

Release Date: November 12, 2003
Release Number: 1485-24

» More Information on Pennsylvania Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Federal and state assistance to northern and western Pennsylvania counties affected by severe storms and flooding this summer has topped $8 million, according to disaster recovery officials. The total for all disaster programs is $8,292,968, officials said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had received 1,318 applications from disaster victims in 11 designated counties.

Individuals and Households program grants totaled $2,082,547 as of the close of business on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Of that total, $1,779,838 was for housing assistance and $302,708 was for Other Needs Assistance.

Disaster housing assistance provides grants for alternate rental housing, or emergency repairs to make a residence livable. Disaster housing assistance helps people meet housing needs until they can make arrangements for permanent repairs, through insurance, loans or from other sources. Other Needs Assistance helps families who cannot afford a low-interest loan to meet serious disaster-related costs not covered by other disaster aid or insurance.

The U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan program has approved the following loans to people who can afford a loan and to businesses:

Homeowners, renters or business owners in a designated county may apply for federal and state disaster assistance until Nov. 18, 2003. They can apply by calling the toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-3362. For those with a speech or hearing impairment, the number is 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). Both lines are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Residents in 11 counties are eligible for individual assistance under President Bush's major disaster declaration of Sept. 18. They are Blair, Crawford, Lackawanna, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Tioga, Venango, Warren and Wayne.

Registrations and grants by county are:

County
Total Registrations
Housing Assistance
Other Needs Assistance
Total Assistance
Eligible
Approved
Eligible
Approved
Eligible
Approved
Blair
141
105
$203,247
36
$20,768
110
$224,015
Crawford
58
31
$93,276
10
$14,055
33
$107,331
Lackawanna
413
267
$660,127
121
$128,651
288
$788,778
Lawrence
236
155
$303,825
65
$44,995
164
$348,820
McKean
71
28
$63,100
7
$8,165
28
$71,265
Mercer
126
81
$168,315
23
$38,271
86
$206,587
Potter
36
7
$19,681
4
$1,394
9
$21,076
Tioga
33
13
$30,226
3
$2,756
14
$32,982
Venango
69
24
$68,804
11
$27,377
28
$96,182
Warren
75
30
$93,267
10
$10,905
33
$104,172
Wayne
60
28
$75,970
3
$5,370
28
$81,340
TOTAL
1,318
769
$1,779,838
293
$302,707
821
$2,082,548

Public Assistance

The Public Assistance Program has obligated a total of $5,100,320 to help state agencies and local governments in 13 counties to repair damage and meet other expenses from the storms. The breakdown is as follows:

State agencies
Clarion County
Crawford County
Forest County
Lackawanna County
Lawrence County
McKean County
Mercer County
Potter County
Tioga County
Venango County
Warren County
Wayne County
Wyoming County
 $1,185,753
$ 317,572
$ 472,654
$ 64,411
$ 94,310
$ 247,621
$ 285,569
$ 617,102
$ 270,299
$ 244,245
$ 923,616
$ 293,018
$ 80,319
$ 3,831

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Friday, 14-Nov-2003 12:43:08