Communities urged to apply for aid that helps build more disaster-resistant infrastructure

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – Federal assistance may be available to help Arkansas communities rebuild infrastructure to higher, more disaster-resistant standards and state officials are encouraging local governments to take advantage of that funding.

The assistance to communities is part of the aid that became available following the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 7 to June 15, 2015.

“Generally, the federal Public Assistance program restores disaster damaged infrastructure to pre-disaster conditions,” said Nancy M. Casper, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “But when cost effective and technically feasible, it makes sense to rebuild to higher standards that can prevent future loss.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides federal funds to reimburse a minimum of 75 percent of the costs for removing debris, conducting emergency protective measures and repairing levees, roads, bridges, public utilities, water control facilities, public buildings and parks. Mitigation funding may be considered in each project category.

Eligible applicants may include:

• state agencies

• local and county governments

• private nonprofit organizations that own or operate facilities that provide essential government-type services

“Studies show that every $1 paid toward mitigation saves an average of $4 in future disaster-related costs,” said State Coordinating Officer Scott Bass of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Agency. “By adding mitigation money to repair costs, our goal is to reduce or eliminate damages from future disasters.”

As part of the process for applying for federal assistance, experts from ADEM and FEMA help identify projects that will qualify for the special mitigation program. Officials urge applicants to take advantage of the funds.

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, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters fund repairs or 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 more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov  or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.