Less Than One Week Left To Apply For State Individual Assistance
Release Date: May 18, 2004
Release Number: 1516-004
» More Information on Arkansas Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides
SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Arkansans in designated counties who suffered damage to their primary residence from flooding that soaked the state from April 19 through May 7 have until Monday, May 24 to apply for assistance through the Governor's Disaster Fund. As of Tuesday, May 18, 86 people had applied to ADEM for state assistance.
Governor Mike Huckabee has activated disaster recovery services through the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) to assist homeowners and renters in the following counties: Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Newton, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Stone, Washington, and Woodruff.
Temporary Housing Assistance Grants, for victims whose primary residences were destroyed or are uninhabitable as a result of the storms, are available through ADEM. The program offers one month of assistance for pre-disaster renters and up to three months for pre-disaster homeowners. If the victim has a homeowner's policy and their policy allows for Additional Living Expenses (ALE), they are ineligible for state assistance until the ALE is depleted. The state will assess the individual's needs and Temporary Housing Assistance will be offered to those individuals who are eligible.
Applications for Temporary Housing Assistance Grants will be taken by ADEM at 1-877-828-3362, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Monday, May 24. Operators are not available to take calls on weekends.
The Individual and Family Grant Program, (IFG) administered by DHS, assists disaster victims with serious needs or necessary expenses that were incurred as a result of the disaster. Eligible categories concerning uninsured losses include: assisting in repair or replacement of primary residence, repair/replacement of personal property, essential transportation, funeral expenses, and medical expenses.
Disaster victims may apply for the IFG Program by making an appointment by telephone with their county's Department of Human Services office. The number for each DHS office can be obtained by calling ADEM. Applications will be taken from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Monday, May 24. Operators are not available to take calls on weekends.
Assistance to cities, counties, and certain private non-profits is available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and ADEM. The following counties are included in President George W. Bush's Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance: Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Newton, Searcy, Stone, Washington and Woodruff.
All private non-profit organizations in the declared counties that received damages should apply through FEMA by calling (479) 927-8500. As of May 18, 35 jurisdictions had applied to FEMA and ADEM for assistance. The deadline for cities, counties and non-profit organizations to apply for assistance is June 6, 2004.
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: Tuesday, 18-May-2004 18:01:33