One Month After Isaac Mississippi Recovery Continues

CLINTON, Miss. – In the month after Hurricane Isaac, Mississippians have received more than
$16.2 million in federal disaster assistance to help homeowners, renters and businesses recover.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency provide the following snapshot of disaster recovery efforts as of Sept. 30:

• More than 7,800 households have received FEMA grants that assist with housing, rental assistance and personal property loss due to the storm.
• Nearly $10.9 million has been approved for housing grants, including short-term rental assistance, home repair and replacement costs.
• More than $1.9 million has been approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions.
• Nearly $3.5 million in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist homeowners, renters and businesses with the cost of repairing or replacing lost or damaged structures and personal property.
• Nearly 23,500 survivors in designated counties have contacted FEMA for help or information regarding disaster assistance from FEMA, the state and volunteer agencies.
• More than 17,700 home inspections have been completed.
• More than 8,400 people have visited 16 disaster recovery centers.

Applications must be received by Wednesday, Oct. 31 to be considered for disaster assistance from FEMA and the SBA.

People can register with FEMA in any of the following methods:

1. Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
2. By tablet or smartphone, use the FEMA app or go to m.fema.gov.
3. 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.

Homeowners, renters and businesses may go to disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ to apply. For more information contact SBA’s Disaster Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Those who receive a disaster loan application from the SBA are urged to fill it out as soon as possible or complete the application online. It does not obligate you to accept the loan, but if you’re a homeowner or renter and turned down you may be referred back to FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance program for grant consideration.

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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.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.