Disaster Recovery Centers in Galena and Fairbanks Transition Update

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The State/Federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Galena and Fairbanks will close August 9 and transition to weekly visits to Galena and Fairbanks by FEMA caseworkers to meet the disaster-assistance needs of survivors of the 2013 Spring Floods.

Both Disaster Recovery Centers will cease operations at noon Friday, Aug. 9, 2013.

Until then, the centers will continue to provide face-to-face help from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The Galena DRC is located in the Galena Interior Learning Academy, 359 Challenger Road.

The Fairbanks DRC is located at 751 Old Richardson Hwy., Suite 202.

It is not necessary to visit a DRC to register with FEMA. Those with losses due to flooding between May 17 and June 11, 2013, in the Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) eligible for Individual Assistance can continue to register by telephone or online through Aug. 26, 2013.

The eligible REAAs are Alaska Gateway, Lower Yukon, Yukon Flats and Yukon-Koyukuk.

Those who have registered can continue to receive information and update their applications by telephone, mobile device or online.

  • By telephone: call 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a 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 www.m.fema.gov.
  • Online: go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Affected individuals who have not yet registered by phone or online can also register at a DRC before noon, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013. Staff at the recovery centers can review and update applicant information and address individual questions and concerns.

If you intend to register at a DRC, please bring:

  • 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). Look up your bank routing number.
  • 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 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The deadline to register for an SBA disaster loan is also 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 may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace their disaster-damaged property and/or economic losses.

There are three ways to apply for an SBA disaster loan:  After registering with FEMA, go online to SBA’s secure site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela; call 1-800-659-2955 (the deaf and hard of hearing can call 1-800-877-8339); or visit the DRC for one-on-one service. For more information on SBA disaster assistance, go to www.sba.gov.

View original article – 

Disaster Recovery Centers in Galena and Fairbanks Transition Update

SBA Disaster Assistance Loan Application: Key to FEMA Awards

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Disaster assistance applicants referred to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) who do not complete and submit the companion SBA disaster assistance loan application may be jeopardizing eligibility for other types of assistance.

In addition to businesses, homeowners, renters, and private, nonprofit organizations may be eligible for low interest home repair loans. The loans can be used to cover the costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property and business assets not covered by insurance or other aid.

It’s essential for everyone in the Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) of Alaska Gateway, Lower Yukon, Yukon Flats, and Yukon-Koyukuk with damage from the 2013 Spring Flood to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and, if referred, apply for the SBA disaster loan. Small businesses and private, non-profit organizations in contiguous REAAs are eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

Here are some important facts about the SBA loan application:

  • August 26, 2013, is the last day you can register with FEMA and apply for an SBA disaster loan for physical damage.
  • March 25, 2014, is the last day a business or private, non-profit organization may apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.
  • You don’t have to accept the loan if you qualify for one.
  • If you don’t qualify, you could be eligible for more assistance from FEMA and other organizations.
  • You don’t have to apply for the SBA disaster loan to qualify for FEMA awards for disaster related medical, dental, and funeral expenses.
  • SBA personnel will help you fill out the disaster loan application for free!
  • Complete the SBA application and return it as soon as possible.

There are three ways for survivors of the flooding that occured between May 17 and June 11, 2013, to apply for an SBA disaster loan:  After registering with FEMA, go online to SBA’s secure site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela; call 1-800-659-2955 (deaf and hard-of-hearing call 1-800-877-8339); or visit the Disaster Recovery Center for one-on-one service. For more information on SBA disaster assistance, go to www.sba.gov.

Read article here: 

SBA Disaster Assistance Loan Application: Key to FEMA Awards

FEMA Disaster Assistance Registration Deadline is Only a Month Away

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The deadline to register for disaster assistance — Monday, August 26, 2013 – is only a month away.

With everything else that’s going on, time can slip away and, before you know it, it’s too late!

So if you had flood-related damage, be sure to register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) before the deadline.

Help is available for renters, homeowners and business owners in the Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) of Alaska Gateway, Lower Yukon, Yukon Flats, and Yukon-Koyukuk who suffered damage from the flooding of the Yukon River that occurred between May 17 and June 11, 2013.

Assistance to individuals can include awards to help pay for housing needs, essential home repairs and other disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources.

Survivors with flood damage can register in person with disaster specialists at either of two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) set up to assist them:

  • In Galena at the Galena Interior Learning Academy, 359 Challenger Road.
  • In Fairbanks at 751 Old Richardson Hwy., Suite 202.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday at both DRCs.

Survivors also can register by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or online at DisasterAssistance.gov. Registration by mobile device is also available at www.m.fema.gov. Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use TTY can call 800-462-7585 (TTY).  Multilingual registration can be done by phone.

Disaster officials advise those who intend to register at one of the DRCs to bring:

  • Their Social Security number
  • Current and pre-disaster address
  • Block and lot number
  • A telephone number where they can be contacted
  • Insurance information
  • Total household annual income.

Staff at the DRCs can review and update applicant information and address individual questions and concerns.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and private, nonprofit organizations to cover costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property, and business assets not covered by insurance or other aid. SBA offers disaster loans to cover working capital disaster needs caused by disaster for small businesses only and most private, nonprofit organizations,

There are three ways to apply for an SBA disaster loan:  After registering with FEMA, go online to SBA’s secure site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela; call 1-800-659-2955 (deaf and hard-of-hearing call 1-800-877-8339); or, visit the Disaster Recovery Center for one-on-one service. For more information on SBA disaster assistance, go to www.sba.gov.  

More:

FEMA Disaster Assistance Registration Deadline is Only a Month Away

More Than $2 Million Approved for 2013 Flood Survivors

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Less than a month after federal disaster aid was made available to the State of Alaska, more than $1 million in awards and more than $1 million in loans have been approved for households and businesses to help them recover from losses caused by the flooding of the Yukon River that occurred between May 17 and June 11, 2013, disaster officials announced today.

“It’s important to note that awards are a form of financial disaster-aid that does not have to be repaid,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), he pointed out, provide amounts needed for extensive repairs and rebuilding.

Assistance made available as of July 21, 2013, includes:

  • $1,033,234 in FEMA awards disbursed to individuals and households.
  • $422,373 for housing assistance.
  • $610,860 for other needs.
  • $1,029,500 in low-interest disaster loans approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for homeowners, renters and businesses.
  • 285 housing inspections completed.
  • 289 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers.
  • 170 face-to-face meetings with survivors have been conducted by FEMA’s Individual Assistance Task Force in the cities of Emmonak, Alakanuk, Fort Yukon, Hughes, Circle, Eagle, and Tok as well as at the Willow House in Fairbanks.

The funds for individuals and households are made available to people found to be eligible for assistance in the Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) of Alaska Gateway, Lower Yukon, Yukon Flats, and Yukon-Koyukuk.

“While state, federal, and voluntary organizations continue to respond to the serious needs of people and communities who suffered losses as a result of the flooding, we strongly urge everyone who suffered losses in those REAAs to register for help with FEMA,” said State Coordinating Officer Bryan Fisher.

Those with flooding losses in the eligible REAAs can register by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or online at DisasterAssistance.gov. Registration by mobile device is also available at www.m.fema.gov. Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use TTY can call 800-462-7585 (TTY).  Multilingual registration can be done by phone.

Applicants can apply for an SBA disaster loan online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. 

Residents and business owners can obtain information on SBA disaster loans by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center 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 can call (800) 877-8339.

Those affected can register in person at one of the two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) that have been set up to assist individuals, households and businesses affected by the spring floods:

  • In Galena at the Galena Interior Learning Academy, 359 Challenger Road,
  • In Fairbanks at 751 Old Richardson Hwy., Suite 202.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, at both DRCs.

If you intend to register at one of the DRCs, please bring:

  • 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

Staff at the DRCs can review and update applicant information and address individual questions and concerns.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and private, nonprofit organizations to cover costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property, and business assets not covered by insurance or other aid. SBA offers disaster loans to cover working capital disaster needs caused by disaster for small businesses only and most private, nonprofit organizations,

There are three ways to apply for an SBA disaster loan:  After registering with FEMA, go online to SBA’s secure site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela; call 1-800-659-2955 (deaf and hard-of-hearing call 1-800-877-8339); or, visit the Disaster Recovery Center for one-on-one service. For more information on SBA disaster assistance, go to www.sba.gov.

 

Follow this link: 

More Than $2 Million Approved for 2013 Flood Survivors

Federal disaster declared for spring 2013 floods – Federal Public and Individual Assistance activated for flood-affected Alaskans

On Tuesday, June 25, President Obama approved Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s request for Federal Assistance in the disaster affected areas of the Alaska Gateway, Yukon Flats, Yukon Koyukuk, and Lower Yukon Regional Attendance Areas, with Copper River Regional attendance area for Public Assistance only. The Federal Disaster Declaration makes federal funds and resources available to support the recovery of these areas affected by the 2013 Spring Floods.

The Federal Assistance programs offer help to individuals and families affected by the disaster, as well as funds to assist the state, tribal, and affected local governments with infrastructure damages and costs incurred during the response and recovery from the floods.

Based on eligibility, Individual Assistance includes many different programs to help individuals and families affected by the floods including:

  • Temporary housing.
  • Grants to repair or replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs.  
  • Unemployment assistance benefits.
  • Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance. 
  • Loans for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, non-profit organizations.
  • Loans for farmers, ranchers and aquaculture operators to cover production and property losses, excluding primary residence. 
  • Other relief programs: Crisis counseling assistance for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; advisory assistance for legal, veterans’ benefits and social security matters.

Those in the area designated for assistance to affected individuals and business owners can begin the disaster application process 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. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.

FEMA is working to set up a Joint Field Office (JFO) in conjunction with the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (DHS&EM) to begin recovery efforts for the communities. More information at: www.DisasterAssistance.gov and ready/alaska.gov

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.

Link:  

Federal disaster declared for spring 2013 floods – Federal Public and Individual Assistance activated for flood-affected Alaskans