NORTH LITTLE ROCK – More than $2 million in assistance to date is helping the residents of nine Arkansas counties recover from the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding, May 7 to June 15, 2015.

Recovery officials caution though, that the time to register for federal help is running out.  The deadline to apply for assistance is Aug. 25, 2015.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management provide this current summary of assistance:

More than $922,323 in housing aid to help homeowners and renters:

  • Rent temporary housing for a limited period of time;

  • Repair damage from the disaster to a homeowner’s primary residence that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to make the home safe, sanitary and functional; and,

  • Help replace homes destroyed in the disaster.

More than $99,824 to help pay for:

  • Disaster-related medical and dental costs;

  • Disaster-related funeral and burial costs;

  • Clothing, household items, tools required for work and necessary educational materials;

  • Clean-up items;

  • Disaster-damaged vehicles;

  • Moving and storage expenses related to the disaster; and

  • Other necessary expenses or serious needs as determined by FEMA.

Also, $1,082,000 in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofit organizations has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Residents of Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier counties are encouraged to register for assistance with FEMA before the Aug. 25, 2015 deadline.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses can apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available.

The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

The following is a by-county summary of assistance.

 

CRAWFORD COUNTY

 

Registrations

89

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$61,210

Other Needs Assistance

$10,591

Individuals and Households Program Total

$71,801

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

$80,400

 

GARLAND COUNTY

 

Registrations

43

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$72,775

Other Needs Assistance

$140

Individuals and Households Program Total

$72,916

 

HOWARD COUNTY

 

Registrations

67

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$61,443

Other Needs Assistance

$40,611

Individuals and Households Program Total

$102,054

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

$54,500

 

JEFFERSON COUNTY

 

Registrations

162

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$354,881

Other Needs Assistance

$29,072

Individuals and Households Program Total

$383,953

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

$589.000

 

LITTLE RIVER COUNTY

 

Registrations

61

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$114,750

Other Needs Assistance

$5,804

Individuals and Households Program Total

$120,554

 

MILLER COUNTY

 

Registrations

23

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$86,787

Other Needs Assistance

$1,716

Individuals and Households Program Total

$88,502

 

PERRY COUNTY

 

Registrations

23

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$89,421

Other Needs Assistance

$6,929

Individuals and Households Program Total

$96,351

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

$315,800

 

SEBASTIAN COUNTY

 

Registrations

42

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$43,201

Other Needs Assistance

$3,532

Individuals and Households Program Total

$46,733

 

SEVIER COUNTY

 

Registrations

37

Housing Repairs and Rental Assistance

$37,766

Other Needs Assistance

$1,428

Individuals and Households Program Total

$39,193

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

$42.300

 

Approved assistance as of COB Aug. 2, 2015. U.S. SBA Administration loans are through July 29, 2015.

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.

 

 

Original source:

FEMA Disaster Assistance Tops $2 Million for Arkansas Recovery

New York – Hurricane Sandy survivors, who received temporary housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and continue to have a housing need, must fill out an important form for additional short-term rental assistance.

FEMA mails all applicants who receive rental assistance the “Declaration for Continuing Need for Rental Assistance” form. It reaffirms that applicants have an ongoing need for temporary housing while they search for a permanent place to live.

  • This form is mailed 15 days after applicants receive their initial rental assistance grant.
  • Applicants who need additional rental assistance must complete the form and mail it back to FEMA at the address printed on the form.
  • If you don’t have the form, contact FEMA’s toll-free helpline 800-621-FEMA (3362).

Returning to a permanent home is a significant milestone on the road to recovery. FEMA rental assistance may last for up to 18 months from the date of declaration. So it’s important for survivors to have a permanent housing plan.

Survivors with questions about temporary housing assistance should contact FEMA’s toll-free helpline 800-621-FEMA (3362). Applicants who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day seven days a week until further notice.

Individuals may register for help online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. 

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4085, http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

Continue reading: 

Survivors Must Contact FEMA to Keep Temporary Housing Assistance