Disaster Assistance Reaches $21.4 Million: Registration Deadline Nov. 10
More Than 17,500 Register for Disaster Assistance
Release Date: October 24, 2008
Release Number: 1785-074
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- As state and federal disaster recovery efforts approach the Nov. 10 deadline for applicants to register for disaster aid, recovery officials point to continuing progress in bringing a wide range of disaster assistance to Florida individuals, businesses and public entities hit hard by Tropical Storm Fay and related flooding.
All residents with disaster-related damage in the 27 designated counties are urged to call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 800-621-3362 (FEMA) by the Nov. 10 deadline. Those with a speech- or hearing-impairment may call TTY 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, until further notice. Applicants may also register online at www.fema.gov.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and officials of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) said that since the initial presidential declaration for Individuals and Households Program assistance on August 24, more than $14.4 million has been disbursed to 4,497 approved applicants. Approved U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster-related loans to homeowners, renters and businesses now total approximately $6.9 million.
In addition, 41 Florida counties were designated eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance program to help reimburse local governments, eligible state agencies and certain qualified non-profits for uninsured disaster-related infrastructure costs.
To date, 92 Public Assistance project worksheets have been submitted by applicants including the state and local governments. Each project worksheet spells out the project purpose, cost, timeline and other information. An applicant may have a number of projects debris removal, emergency protective services, roads, bridges, public parks, etc. Approved Public Assistance projects are funded on a cost-share basis, with FEMA funding 75 percent of the approved reimbursement and the remaining 25 percent shared by the state and local governments.
Two-month snapshot:
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As of Friday, Oct. 24, a total of 17,623 individuals, households have applied for disaster assistance.
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Total assistance, including FEMA's Individuals and Households Program and low-interest disaster loans from the SBA, now stands at $21,416,090.
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FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides assistance in two main categories, Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance. IHP approved funding to 4,497 applicants totals $14,436,790.
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Housing Assistance helps pay for rental assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs. Approved Housing Assistance funding to 3,616 homeowners and renters totals more than $12,677,993.
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Other Needs Assistance helps cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance to individuals and households. Approved Other Needs Assistance funding to 1,759 individuals and households totals more than $1,758,796.
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The SBA provides disaster loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes. The SBA has issued 1,080 applications for disaster loans to individuals and businesses. To date, 202 homes and business loans have been approved for approximately $6,979,300.
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During disaster outreach efforts, 35 Disaster Recovery Centers provided face-to-face customer service to more than 13,597 residents from the designated counties.
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FEMA-contracted housing inspectors have completed more than 13,802 of 14,155 requests to view reported housing damages or 92 percent. Turnaround time from registration to inspection averages about two days.
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) recorded 348 applicant claims filed for the state-managed, FEMA-funded program. DUA provides benefits for workers who would not normally qualify for unemployment compensation, including farmers, farm workers, diversified farming operators, loggers, commission-paid employees, those who are self-employed and others who are not eligible for the state's program.
The counties designated for FEMA's Individuals and Households program are: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Clay, Collier, Duval, Gadsden, Glades, Hendry, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Polk, Seminole, St. Lucie, Taylor, Volusia and Wakulla.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Monday, 27-Oct-2008 08:43:10