Mississippians Now Have Until January 11 to Apply For Individual Disaster Assistance
Release Date: October 22, 2005
Release Number: 1604-087
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JACKSON, Miss. -- Responding to the request of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved extending the application period for Mississippians to apply for disaster assistance.
The new deadline date is Jan.11, 2006.
"We want to assure that Hurricane Katrina victims have ample time to apply for a wide range of federal and state disaster benefits. We realize that mandatory evacuations and other pressing survival needs inflicted by Hurricane Katrina require more time for many victims to put themselves on the road to recovery," said Nick Russo, deputy federal coordinating officer.
"Nothing in the form of federal aid happens until FEMA is called." Russo added.
To date, close to 500,000 individuals in 47 disaster-declared Mississippi counties have registered for assistance by calling the toll-free 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) and TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing and speech impaired.
After insurance, housing assistance is the major form of aid available to eligible Katrina victims under the following categories:
- Rental assistance for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable.
- Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional.
- Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state, and charitable aid programs.
- Unemployment payments for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for regular state unemployment benefits including self-employed individuals.
- Low-interest loans to cover homeowners, renters, and businesses for losses not fully compensated by insurance. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration)
- Low-interest loans for businesses and non-profits that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster's economic impact. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration)
- Loans for farmers, ranchers and agriculture operators to cover production and property losses. (Source: Farm Service Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture.)
- Other relief programs: Crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; advisory assistance for legal issues; veterans' benefits; and social security matters.
Last Modified: Monday, 24-Oct-2005 06:36:10