Disaster Aid For October Storms Exceeds $3.5 Million
Release Date: November 7, 2006
Release Number: 1665-006
» More Information on New York Severe Storms and Flooding
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Officials from the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that more than $3.7 million has been approved to aid residents of Erie, Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties who suffered losses as a result of the October 12-13 severe storms and flooding.
In the two weeks since President Bush’s disaster declaration of October 24, nearly 13,000 persons have called the FEMA toll-free registration number to seek help.
Of the $3.7 million, more than $3.1 million has been approved for nearly 2,400 households through the FEMA Housing Assistance Program. The assistance is in the form of temporary housing and grants to uninsured or underinsured individuals to perform minor repairs to make homes safe and habitable.
To date, nearly $600,000 has been approved for more than 1000 households under the New York State/FEMA Other Needs Assistance Program (ONA) that provides grants for serious disaster-related needs, not covered by insurance or other assistance programs, such as medical, dental, funeral, personal property, and transportation expenses.
Two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are open Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., in Tonawanda and Buffalo,
Tonawanda – Brighton Golf Club, 70 Brompton Road
Buffalo – The Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired, 1160 Main Street
Representatives of state, federal and voluntary agencies will be available to answer questions and provide recovery information at the DRCs.
Additionally, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has representatives available at the DRCs to help homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations complete their loan applications and answer questions about the SBA Disaster Loan Program. Interest rates are as low as 3.125 percent for homeowners and renters, and 4 percent for businesses and non-profit organizations.
Voluntary organizations continue to provide critical support. Area religious communities have formed an interfaith disaster recovery network to coordinate assistance for individuals whose needs extend beyond state and federal disaster assistance.
Teams of community relations specialists are working with local officials, community-based organizations, and individuals. Their emphasis is on providing helpful information to resolve disaster needs.
The State of New York has implemented a special Disaster Unemployment Assistance program for people who lost wages due to the storms. This program may provide payments to persons not normally covered by unemployment insurance such as farmers, ranchers and self-employed workers.
FEMA Mitigation specialists established a presence in DRCs and to explain repairs, home utility protection, basement drainage issues and effective mold and mildew abatement measures.
State and local governments and certain private non-profit organizations have, to date, submitted 113 Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) to the state/federal Public Assistance (PA) Program. The PA program provides 75 percent federal reimbursement for emergency work, debris removal, and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding. New York State, for this declaration, is paying the full 25 percent non-federal share.
Joint state/federal PA teams are working with applicants to document damage and initiate the reimbursement process.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been mission assigned by FEMA to actively monitor state and local debris removal efforts in the four designated counties. To date, state and local officials have reported to USACE that more than 1.8 million cubic feet of debris have been removed.
State and federal authorities strongly urge anyone in the four counties affected by this storm to register for state and federal disaster assistance by calling the FEMA’s toll-free registration number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). For speech- or hearing-impaired, the TTY number is 1-800-462-7585.
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, an applicant must complete an SBA loan application to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 07-Nov-2006 13:22:56