Federal/State Disaster Aid Tops $105 Million; Only Five Days Left to Register
Release Date: November 12, 2003
Release Number: 1490-80
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Isabel
Raleigh, NC -- A total of $105 million in federal/state disaster aid had been approved through Tuesday, nearly eight weeks since President Bush declared the state eligible for federal disaster assistance immediately after Hurricane Isabel made landfall on September 18.
Only five days remain for residents with uninsured losses from the hurricane and other storms to register for assistance. The deadline to register for uninsured damages caused by the hurricane is Monday, November 17.
"These are the last few days to register for help," says Gracia Szczech, the federal official coordinating the response for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "After Monday it will be too late. If you had uninsured damage to your home or business from Isabel-call now."
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.
"This is the time to call," said Dr. Kenneth B. Taylor, the state official coordinating the response for the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. "The window of opportunity closes Monday."
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.
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48,713 applications for individual assistance have been received from residents in the 47 counties designated for that assistance.
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$19.2 million has been approved for residents to assist with temporary housing and home repairs.
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$18.1 million has been approved 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).
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25,948 applications for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans have been issued.
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$27.2 million in SBA low-interest disaster assistance loans have been approved for 1,141 households and businesses.
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10,634 people visited local Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) when they were open between September 23 and October 31.
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$20.2 million has been approved for projects to rebuild North Carolina's infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Isabel.
- $20.3 million in direct federal and state 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: Thursday, 13-Nov-2003 07:44:43