More than $5 million Approved for Disaster Aid to Kentucky Flooding Survivors

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Three weeks after President Obama declared a major disaster for Kentucky, approximately $5.3 million in federal aid has been approved to help those affected by the July storms and flooding.

More than 1,000 individuals and households have contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help or information by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362/TTY 800-462-7585.

Some are seeking housing assistance from FEMA because the flooding made their home unlivable. Other forms of disaster assistance are provided by partner agencies such as the Small Business Administration. Other callers may be interested in disaster unemployment assistance.

The following summarizes the disaster recovery effort as of Sept. 2:

• 504 households have been approved for FEMA grants that assist with temporary rentals and personal property loss.

• More than $3 million is approved for housing grants, including short-term rental assistance and essential home repair costs on primary residences.
• More than $480,000 is approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions.
• More than $1.7 million has been approved in Small Business Administration disaster loans.
• 819 home inspections have been completed.
• 692 visits have been made to disaster recovery centers by people affected by the disaster.
• 2 disaster recovery centers (Johnson and Carter counties) are currently open.

No matter the degree of loss or insurance coverage, survivors are urged to apply for help. They can use any of the following methods:

1. By phone, call 800-621-FEMA (3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Assistance is available in most languages. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (TTY) 800-462-7585 or Video Relay Service 800-621-3362.
2. Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

Businesses, homeowners and renters that need help may contact the Small Business Administration directly at the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), send an  email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or go to https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ to apply.

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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.

For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://kyem.ky.gov. On Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/KYEmergencyManagement. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/kyempio or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.