Tornado Aid Tops $1 Million
Release Date: February 15, 2008
Release Number: 1744-015
» More Information on Arkansas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- More than $1 million ($1,182,650) in assistance has been approved to date by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as they continue to assist the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) in the recovery from the tornadoes of Feb. 5.
Disaster recovery efforts through Feb. 14 include the following:
- 1,020 individuals and households from eight counties eligible for individual assistance have applied for disaster aid as a result of President Bush's Feb. 7 declaration of a major disaster. April 7, 2008, is the last day individuals can apply for FEMA assistance under the declaration.
- $912,227 in Housing Assistance has been approved to cover rental assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs.
- $270,423 in Other Needs Assistance has been approved to cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
- 824 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers have been made by people affected by the disaster to meet with recovery experts there.
- 330 home inspections have been conducted.
- Briefings are being conducted Feb. 15-19 to inform state and local officials about FEMA's Public Assistance program. Under this program counties, cities, and certain private non-profit agencies can apply for partial reimbursement for eligible emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities and infrastructure. FEMA will be approving additional dollar amounts in the next few weeks, as applications are received and evaluated.
- Additional federal funds in the form of low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also will begin to flow into the affected counties in coming weeks as SBA processes the loan applications it is currently receiving from homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes
Under the Feb 7 declaration and subsequent amendments, FEMA Public Assistance grants are authorized to assist state and local government agencies and certain private nonprofit organizations with the response to and recovery from the disaster in 10 counties: Baxter, Conway, Independence, Izard, Pope, Randolph, Sharp, Stone, Union and Van Buren. For more information, governmental and private, non-profit organizations in these counties should contact their local emergency management officials.
Residents in the eight counties eligible for Individual Assistance under the Feb. 7 declaration and subsequent amendments who suffered damage from the tornadoes should call and register for assistance no later than April 7.
The eight counties now eligible for Individual Assistance are Baxter, Conway, Izard, Pope, Randolph, Sharp, Stone and Van Buren.
Homeowners, renters and business owners who are located in one of the eight counties designated for federal individual assistance and suffered damage and/or financial loss from the Feb. 5 tornadoes are strongly urged to register online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for those with hearing or speech impairments. FEMA operators are available 7 a.m. to midnight CST seven days a week, until further notice. If residents are not sure if they will be eligible, they should still make the call. Don't disqualify yourself from assistance by not registering.
Residents also can visit a local Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to speak with representatives from the state, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to discuss the types of assistance available. They also can meet with representatives from the Internal Revenue Service, the Arkansas Department of Insurance and the Arkansas Department of Human Services' Food Stamp Program. Residents are urged to apply online or by phone before visiting a DRC.
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 terrorism.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 19-Feb-2008 09:47:24