Disaster Information Provided To More Than 53,000
Release Date: June 13, 2008
Release Number: 1761-026
» More Information on Georgia Severe Storms and Flooding
ATLANTA, Ga. -- If knowledge is power, then more than 53,000 Georgians have some clout in dealing with the aftermath of the May 11-12 storms. This week, community relations and mitigation teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) topped that number of individuals they contacted since May 23 with information about disaster assistance.
Community relations teams have been in the front lines since the disaster was declared May 23, attracting volunteers along the way from the hardest hit areas. Forty-two pairs of feet walked door-to-door, from neighborhood to neighborhood speaking personally with storm victims and their neighbors. They delivered flyers and pamphlets to residents, churches, and other community organizations about who can apply for disaster assistance, how to register and what type of help is available. This week they counted 51,755 contacts made since coming on the scene May 23, the date of the president's declaration.
Other information is flowing as well. In the past 10 days, FEMA mitigation advisors spoke with nearly 1,500 individuals at area building supply and hardware stores about how to rebuild safer and stronger to minimize damages or losses if another disaster occurs.
There are additional milestone numbers this week. Officials from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and FEMA report the following efforts, through June 12, three weeks since the May 23 presidential disaster declaration:
- A total of 4,780 individuals (homeowners, renters and business owners) already have applied for assistance.
- More than $1,194,887 in grants has been approved in Housing Assistance for 502 applicants to be used for temporary disaster housing or to help make disaster-damaged homes safe, sanitary and functional.
- Other Needs Assistance (ONA) is approved in the amount of $302,793 for 373 applicants to replace personal property and to help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs.
- A total of 214 homeowners, renters and businesses have returned their U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) applications for low-interest loans. So far, the SBA has approved $699,800 for 29 loans.
- July 22 is the deadline for applicants who received SBA low-interest loan applications to complete and return the applications. If the SBA application is not returned, the applicant may not receive other forms of federal assistance.
A county-by-county breakdown follows:
| County | Applications | Individuals & Household Program | Housing Assistance | Other Needs Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bibb |
3,411 |
$820,508 |
$643,980 |
$176,528 |
Carroll |
283 |
$183,542 |
$150,822 |
$32,720 |
Douglas |
94 |
$24,236 |
$21,444 |
$2,792 |
Emanuel |
72 |
$19,268 |
$18,698 |
$570 |
Jefferson |
80 |
$22,269 |
$14,505 |
$7,764 |
Jenkins |
63 |
$161,818 |
$121,388 |
$40,430 |
Johnson |
375 |
$162,526 |
$134,589 |
$27,937 |
Laurens |
91 |
$51,642 |
$43,950 |
$7,692 |
McIntosh |
68 |
$18,601 |
$15,270 |
$3,331 |
Twiggs |
151 |
$33,270 |
$30,240 |
$3,030 |
To apply by the July 22 deadline for assistance residents should call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for speech- or hearing-impaired applicants. Both lines are available daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT). Residents also may apply on line at www.fema.gov.
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: Friday, 13-Jun-2008 16:54:35