Posted: 10/16/07
Over $43 million made available to flood victims through FEMA
Seven weeks after a presidential disaster declaration was issued for southeastern Minnesota, $43,076,691 in federal recovery funds has been made available to individuals in the seven designated counties, according to officials from Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and the U.S Department of Homeland Securityís Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Recovery officials continue to deliver aid to eligible residents and business owners in areas affected by the severe storms and flooding that swept through the area in August.
"We are pleased with the recovery work that FEMA and our state partners have performed in southeastern Minnesota," said Federal Coordinating Officer Carlos Mitchell. "Just over one week remains to apply for assistance, so we urge residents who suffered damages but havenít yet registered to do so today."
The presidential disaster declaration was issued Aug. 23. Residents in seven counties ñ Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha and Winona ñ may be eligible to receive FEMA Individual Assistance funds. By the close of business on Wednesday, Oct. 10, a total of 4,800 people in the designated counties had registered for Individual Assistance, and $16,249,058 in Housing Assistance and $1,351,234 in Other Needs Assistance had already been approved.
Individual Assistance is available for homeowners and renters to help replace losses not fully covered by insurance. It can include rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable; grants to repair homes and replace essential household items to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional; and grants to meet serious disaster-related needs not covered by other programs.
Those affected by the severe storms and flooding can begin applying for assistance by calling
1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- or hearing-impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (local time) seven days a week. Individuals can also register online at HYPERLINK "http://www.fema.gov/" The deadline to register for assistance is Monday, Oct. 22.
Residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations may also be eligible for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help them recover from the disaster, including loans to recover from property losses not fully covered by insurance or grants. In addition, small businesses may receive loans to help provide working capital to recover from the disasterís economic impact. By the close of business on Wednesday, Oct. 10, a total of 3640 applications for home loans and 749 applications for business and economic injury disaster loans had been issued; $25,476,400 in loans had been approved.
Assistance by county
Winona - $6,632,929
Fillmore - $6,266,981
Olmsted - $1,922,384
Houston - $1,814,363
Dodge - $ 4232,097
Steele - $ 317,214
Wabasha - $ 224,324
Disaster legal services
The Disaster Legal Services hotline is operational, and affected residents can call 1-866-408-8017 to receive free legal assistance. The hotline is staffed by attorneys of the American Bar Associationís Young Lawyers Division. The program is funded by FEMA and administered by the state of Minnesota.
Hotline attorneys can handle questions regarding disaster-related subjects such as insurance claims, landlord/tenant issues, drawing up powers of attorney, and replacement of wills and other important documents that were lost or destroyed. To be eligible for the legal assistance, individuals must not have a lawyer or the resources to hire one, must live in one of the seven counties designated for FEMA Individual Assistance programs, and must need legal assistance as a direct result of the severe storms and flooding.
Caledonia Argus
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Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com