Four More Counties Added For Storm Aid; DRC Opening In Sylvester
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Release Number: 1686-027
» More Information on Georgia Severe Storms and Tornadoes
CORDELE, Ga. – Following review of additional damage assessments, four additional Georgia counties are now eligible for disaster assistance, officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency announced today.
Individual Assistance to households is now available to residents in Dougherty, Warren and Worth counties. Hancock County has been added for Public Assistance to local governments. Individuals and business owners in Dougherty, Warren and Worth counties can call the FEMA registration number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech-and hearing-impaired. Applicants also can register online at www.fema.gov. May 2 is the registration deadline.
FEMA is sending a team of Community Relations personnel to Warren County to work directly with those who suffered damage from the storms and tornadoes. In addition, a new Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open in Sylvester, Georgia, to serve people in Dougherty and Worth counties affected by the severe storms and tornadoes of March 1-2.
The DRC opens at noon on Tuesday, March 27, and operate from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, March 28-31. The DRC will be in the Worth County Fire and Rescue Headquarters, 203 E. Willingham St., Sylvester.
Representatives of the state, federal and voluntary agencies, as well as customer service representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), will answer questions and provide recovery information. FEMA does not distribute cash, checks, debit cards or vouchers at the DRC.
The amended federal disaster declaration of March 3 brings to nine the total number of counties declared for Individual Assistance. Other counties include Baker, Crawford, McDuffie, Mitchell, Sumter and Taylor, where disaster-affected households can register at the number given above.
Individual Assistance activates the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) jointly administered by FEMA and GEMA. IHP includes Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance (ONA).
Housing Assistance ensures that people whose homes are damaged by disaster have a safe place to live. Assistance may be one or more of the following:
- Temporary Housing – Homeowners and renters receive funds to rent a different place to live.
- Repair – Homeowners receive grants to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to help in restoring homes that were made unsafe, unsanitary, and not functional.
- Replacement – Under rare conditions, homeowners receive limited funds to assist in replacing their disaster-damaged home.
Other Needs Assistance includes help for other disaster-related necessary expenses, such as medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, and moving and storage costs.
The SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, business owners and non-profit organizations that have sustained damages and are not fully covered by insurance or other compensation. SBA also offers loans for working capital to businesses suffering loss of business due to the disaster. For more information, call SBA’s customer service number at 1-800-659-2955 or TTY 1-800-877-8339 for the speech- and hearing-impaired.
Registrants receiving the SBA loan application with their registration materials must complete and return it before they can be considered for further assistance through ONA. Information in the loan application allows FEMA and SBA to determine the type of assistance an applicant may receive. Although the form must be completed for some types of assistance, loan applicants are not required to take out an approved SBA loan.
The March 3 federal disaster declaration has also been expanded to include Public Assistance to local governments in Hancock County for repairs to public facilities and debris removal. Public assistance was authorized earlier for Baker, Clay, Crawford, McDuffie, Mitchell, Muscogee, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Warren, Webster and Wilkinson counties.
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.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you should call FEMA toll-free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal rights. If suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the fraud hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
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, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 27-Mar-2007 12:13:05