Federal and State Disaster Aid Continues to Floyd's Victims as Application Deadline Nears
Release Date: December 6, 1999
Release Number: 1296-33
» More Information on New York Hurricane Floyd
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Friday, Dec. 17, is the last day for homeowners, renters and business owners who had damage as a result of Tropical Storm Floyd in September in 11 New York counties to apply for disaster assistance, according to Federal Coordinating Officer Marianne C. Jackson and State Coordinating Officer Edward F. Jacoby, Jr.
As the request of Gov. George E. Pataki, Albany, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Ulster and Westchester counties were declared disaster areas by President Clinton following Tropical Storm Floyd in September.
New Yorkers who sustained damage from the storm in these counties and still have not applied for assistance should call the toll-free registration number at 1-800-462-9029, before 6 p.m. on Dec. 17. The registration number for people with hearing- or speech-impairments is 1-800-462-7585. The line is open for registrations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Assistance programs available because of the presidential declaration include Disaster Housing grants for short-term rental needs and to make minimal home repairs, Individual and Family Grants (IFG) to meet serious disaster-related needs not covered by other programs and low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters or business owners
The following is a summary of federal/state disaster recovery assistance to individuals, renters and homeowners as of Dec. 6:
Albany County - 248 registrations have been received through the toll-free registration line; 116 Disaster Housing grants have been approved totaling $259,617; and ten Individual and Family Grants, totaling $18,112, have been approved.
Dutchess County - 136 registrations have been received so far. From this number, 66 Disaster Housing grants, totaling $119,289, and three IFG grants, totaling $2,152 have been approved.
Essex County - 415 disaster victims have called the toll-free registration number; 37 Disaster Housing grants have been approved, totaling $47,775; and three Individual and Family Grants, totaling $14,682 have been approved.
In Greene County, FEMA and the state have approved 69 Disaster Housing grants, totaling $121,485. No IFG grants have been approved, although five applications are still pending. 180 registrations have been received at the toll-free registration line from Greene County.
From the 1,158 registrations received from Orange County, 459 Disaster Housing grants, totaling $728,992, and 48 Individual and Family Grants, totaling $59,132 have been approved.
Putnam County - 647 registrations have been received through the toll-free registration line; 359 Disaster Housing grants have been approved totaling $621,273; and 18 Individual and Family Grants, totaling $13,301, have been approved.
Rensselaer County - 47 disaster victims have called the toll-free registration line. From this number, 15 Disaster Housing grants have been approved, totaling $43,952. No IFG grants have been approved, although two applications are still pending.
Rockland County has seen the largest amount of disaster assistance. 4,052 registrations have been received from Rockland County. A total of $3,866,874 has been approved for 2,227 Disaster Housing grants. IFG assistance to 197 applicants now totals $208,368.
In Schenectady County, 67 Disaster Housing grants, totaling $152,082, and eight IFG grants, totaling $6,623, have been approved. 112 registrations have been received at the toll-free registration line from Schenectady County.
Ulster County - 183 victims of Tropical Storm Floyd have called the toll-free registration line; 32 Disaster Housing grants have been approved, totaling $56,802; three Individual and Family Grants, totaling $8,809 have also been approved.
From the 1,859 registrations received from Westchester County, 921 Disaster Housing grants, totaling $1,682,634 and 104 IFG grants, totaling $114,902 have been approved.
The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved 834 low-interest loans, totaling $15,395,100 to homeowners in the 11 designated counties. At the same time, the SBA has approved 95 loans, totaling $5,785,900 to business owners in those counties to help them rebuild after Tropical Storm Floyd.
"Even after the Dec. 17 deadline FEMA will still be only a telephone call away," Jackson said. Applicants may reach FEMA by calling the Helpline at 1-800-525-0321. Helpline representatives are available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. to answer questions about the assistance process or the status of applications. The TDD Helpline number is 1-800-660-8005.
Applications for long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) must also be filed by Dec. 17, but businesses that may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans have until June 19, 2000 to apply. For the status of a disaster loan application, applicants may call the SBA, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 1-800-659-2955.
Last Modified: Friday, 05-Dec-2003 09:36:09