Federal/State Disaster Aid Reaches $30 Million
Release Date: October 15, 2007
Release Number: 1720-066
» More Information on Ohio Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
FINDLAY, Ohio -- Federal and state aid in the form of grants and loans to Ohioans after the severe storms and flooding of Aug. 20-28 has reached more than $30 million.
As of Monday morning:
- $16,788,000 has been approved under two Individual Assistance programs.
- $13,880,000 in Individual and Housing Program grants to 4,737 households for temporary housing and/or basic repairs of flood-damaged homes; and
- $2,908,000 in Other Needs Assistance grants for 1,957 households to spend on repair or replacement of essential furniture and appliances, clothing, medical and dental bills and other flood-related expenses.
- $13,324,000 has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in long-term low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and business of all sizes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds 100 percent of the housing grants; FEMA pays 75 percent of the other needs grants, and the State of Ohio funds the remaining 25 percent.
"Working closely with the efficient and dedicated staff of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, we have been able to get $30 million into the hands of people who need it most," said Federal Coordinating Officer Jesse Munoz of FEMA.
"I urge anyone affected by the storms and floods to register as soon as possible," Munoz said. "The deadline for registering with FEMA and for submitting your SBA loan packet is Oct. 26."
There are two ways to register:
- Call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired, or
- Go online at www.fema.gov.
Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (EDT) every day.
Here is a summary of some other disaster activities:
- 7,013 homes have been inspected to assess flood damage;
- 8,205 households have registered for assistance;
- 18,558 people have been approached by FEMA Mitigation Outreach teams working in building supply stores and other locations to talk about measures that can be taken to help lessen or prevent damage from future floods.
SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers are still open in six offices in northwest Ohio. To find out locations and hours of operation, and for more information about low-interest loans, call the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FEMA coordinates the federal governments 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: Tuesday, 16-Oct-2007 13:20:33