Alaskans have until Aug. 26 to register for FEMA assistance

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Yukon River 2013 flood survivors who had disaster-related damages have until midnight Aug. 26, 2013, to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.   

“Registering with FEMA is essential, even if survivors have already registered with the State,” said State Coordinating Officer Bryan Fisher.

The major federal declaration, signed by President Obama on June 25, authorizes assistance to individuals and households in the following Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAA): Alaska Gateway, Lower Yukon, Yukon Flats, and Yukon-Koyukuk.

“Registering is an important first step on the path to a variety of recovery programs,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont.

• Those with losses due to flooding between May 17 and June 11, 2013, in the declared REAAs can register by telephone or online through Aug. 26, 2013.
  • By telephone: call 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with speech disability or who are deaf or hard of hearing can call 800-462-7585 (TTY). Multilingual registration can be done by telephone.
  • By mobile device: at m.fema.gov.
  • Online: go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

• After registering with FEMA, some survivors will receive an SBA low-interest loan application.  It is important to return the application because SBA is a primary source of disaster recovery.  Also, a denial from SBA may lead to additional FEMA assistance and other referrals.  There are two ways to apply: go online to SBA’s secure site at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela or call 800-659-2955 (the deaf and hard of hearing can call 800-877-8339).

Applicants registering for assistance should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address and phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.

When you register, be sure to have the following information on hand:

• Your Social Security number
• Current and pre-disaster address
• Block and lot number
• A telephone number where you can be contacted
• Insurance information
• Total household annual income
• A routing and account number from your bank (only necessary if you want to have disaster assistance funds transferred directly into your bank account).
• A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster.

FEMA disaster assistance may include awards to help pay for housing, replace personal property and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.  Assistance may also include low-interest federal disaster loans from the SBA.  The deadline to register for an SBA disaster loan is Aug. 26, 2013.

SBA offers disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations for their uncompensated losses.  Homeowners can receive loans up to $200,000 to repair or replace their primary residence.  Homeowners and renters can receive loans up to $40,000 to replace personal property.  Businesses and private, non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace their disaster-damaged property and/or economic losses.  Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.  Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling SBA toll-free at (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.  Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877‑8339.  For more information about SBA’s disaster assistance programs, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property.  SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private, nonprofit organizations fund repairs and rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.  These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.  For information about SBA programs, applicants may call (800) 659-2955 (TTY 1-800-877-8339) or visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from and mitigate all hazards.