More than $5.6M to Hoosiers in Disaster Assistance

A total of $5,669,074 in grants has been approved for disaster assistance for nearly half the applicants in Indiana since the Presidential declaration on Jan. 21, according to figures released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Indiana State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Disaster officials added that the number of approved claims will continue to rise as more applications are processed.

The following is an update of recovery activities as of close of business Thursday, Feb. 10.

* 6,993 individuals from the 85 declared counties have applied for assistance
* 3,208 claims have been approved for the Individuals and Household Program totaling $5,669,073.95 in grants.
* 748 people have visited one of the 19 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) that were temporarily opened in various locations to help meet the needs of disaster victims.
* 3,352 home loan and 532 business loan applications have been issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Application and Helpline Numbers Continue to Operate

Individuals, families and business owners who suffered losses in the declared counties should apply for assistance by calling FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those with hearing or speech impairment. These numbers are available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available to take your call. Individuals with Internet access now have the option to apply on FEMA’s Web site at www.fema.gov, where valuable recovery information is also available. The application deadline is Tuesday, March 22.

Individuals may check on the status of their application, update their current information, or request general assistance information by calling those same toll-free numbers.

Individuals and families whose permanent homes were damaged or destroyed by the recent severe winter storms and flooding that began January 1, and are in one of the 85 declared counties in Indiana, may be eligible for the Individuals and Households Program. This assistance may be used for temporary disaster housing assistance; repairing disaster-damaged, uninsured homes to a safe, sanitary and functional condition and replacement grants for serious, disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.

Residents of the 85 disaster-declared counties who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster have two more weeks to apply for disaster unemployment Assistance. Eligible persons include: self-employed, farmers and others who are out of work as a direct result of the disaster and do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits. Those interested in disaster unemployment assistance should call 1-888-WORKONE or log on to the Department of Workforce Development web site at www.workforce.IN.gov/dwd/. The deadline to apply for DUA for all 85 counties is Feb. 26, 2005.

The SBA has issued 3,884 loan applications to homeowners, renters and/or business owners. Officials urge applicants to complete their loan paperwork as soon as possible, even if they have not received a final settlement from their insurance company. If the loan application is not returned it will delay other forms of disaster assistance.

SBA representatives are available at all Disaster Recovery Centers and SBA Disaster Outreach Centers to help applicants who need assistance completing their loan paperwork.