North Carolina Disaster Aid Passes $73 Million
Release Date: October 29, 2003
Release Number: 1490-68
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Isabel
Raleigh, NC-A total of $73.3 million in federal/state disaster aid had been approved through Tuesday, nearly six weeks since President Bush declared the state eligible for federal disaster assistance immediately after Hurricane Isabel made landfall on September 18.
Less than three weeks remain for residents with uninsured losses from the hurricane and other storms to register for assistance.
"We're continuing to look for unmet needs throughout the designated area," said Gracia Szczech, the federal official coordinating the response for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "We urge you to call soon. The deadline is approaching quickly."
At 7 p.m. Friday, October 31, all remaining Disaster Recovery Centers in the state will be closing. "That doesn't mean help is going away, but it does indicate that the deadline window is beginning to close," said Dr. Kenneth B. Taylor, the state official coordinating recovery efforts for the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management.
The officials noted that the deadline to register for uninsured damages caused by the hurricane is Nov. 17.
Individuals may apply for disaster assistance by calling FEMA's toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY: 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- or hearing-impaired. Hours are 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The following is a summary of the response and recovery activity to date since President Bush declared the state eligible for federal disaster assistance on September 18.
- 43,235 applications for individual assistance have been received from residents in the 47 declared counties.
- $17.2 million has been disbursed to residents to assist with temporary housing and home repairs.
- $15 million has been disbursed in Other Needs Assistance, which provides money for necessary expenses and serious needs not covered by insurance (such as medical, dental, funeral, personal property, and transportation expenses).
- 23,356 applications for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans have been issued.
- $15.5 million in SBA low-interest disaster assistance loans have been approved for 587 households and businesses.
- 9,980 people have visited local Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) since they opened beginning September 23.
- $5.4 million has been approved for projects to rebuild North Carolina's infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Isabel.
- $20.3 million in direct federal aid for specific response and recovery mission assignments has been approved, including an estimated $7.5 million committed to fill the Hatteras Island breach caused by the hurricane.
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: Wednesday, 29-Oct-2003 17:05:07