LACEY In consultation with the State of Washington, FEMA has extended the deadline to register for federal/state assistance for those affected by the Nov. 2-11 floods to Feb. 12 to ensure consistency of the application period with that of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
To date, $3,527,527 in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery assistance has been disbursed. Currently, 1,934 people have applied for FEMA assistance and over 1,000 applicants for assistance have been seen at Disaster Recovery Centers.
The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $5.1 million in low-interest disaster loans to Washington residents and businesses affected by the severe storms and flooding which occurred Nov. 2-11 in 11 Washington counties.
Of the more than 1,000 applicants who have visited the DRCs:
More than 71 percent (712) sought information about housing.
57 percent (569) talked to a SBA representative.
48 percent (482) asked for information on Hazard Mitigation.
34 percent (338) inquired about tax help.
25 percent (249) had other needs.
More than 281 applicants registered for assistance at the DRCs.
Washington residents or businesses that had losses or damages from the Nov. 2-11 flooding can register for assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech or hearing impaired, or registering on line at www.fema.gov.
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.
SBA is the federal governments primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
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.