FEMA assistance for March storms up to nearly $17 million
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 16, 2012) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved nearly $17 million in assistance for infrastructure restoration and reimbursement of funds for emergency actions taken during the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding occurring Feb. 29 through March 3 in Kentucky.
Twenty-three counties are eligible for assistance.
More than 5,200 Kentuckians in 21 designated counties have contacted FEMA for help or information regarding disaster assistance, and almost $8.3 million has been approved for Individual Assistance grants, including housing assistance, short-term rental assistance, home repair costs and other needs. More than $1.72 million of the Individual Assistance grants were for other needs assistance, including payments for such eligible disaster-related items as medical and dental expenses, and lost personal possessions.
Home damages by the numbers:
• More than 2,580 homes sustained damages. Of those, more than 671 were destroyed.
• Almost 3,100 inspections of damaged properties have been conducted.
• Almost $8.7 million in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses has been approved by the Small Business Administration.
There are three weeks left to register for disaster assistance. The deadline is May 7.
Disaster officials urge everyone who suffered damage or losses from the storms to register for assistance, and this includes those who may have had insurance to cover some of their losses. Insurance may not cover all losses.
There are three quick and simple methods to register with FEMA:
• By phone, call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Assistance is available in many languages. Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have a speech disability may use TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service should call 800-621-3362.
• By computer, go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
• By smartphone or tablet, use m.fema.gov.
The deadline for returning applications for low-interest loans from the SBA also is May 7.
Completion of the SBA loan application does not obligate an applicant to take out a loan, but the information in the application may be used to determine qualification for further federal assistance through FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance program.
For more information, visit the Kentucky Emergency Management website at www.kyem.ky.gov.
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