Ind. Disaster Application Deadline Approaches

Indiana resident and business owners in the 85 disaster-declared counties who sustained damage from the severe winter storms and flooding that occurred between Jan. 1 and Feb. 11 have only one month to apply for disaster assistance. March 22 is the last day applications will be accepted by phone or via the Internet for individual assistance.

“We want people to understand that this is merely an application deadline,” said Ron Sherman, federal coordinating officer. “For individuals who have already applied, their cases will continue to be processed. New applications will not be accepted after the March 22 deadline.”

Loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-related losses to real and personal property and businesses of all sizes must also be submitted by that date.

More than $8 million has been approved for individuals impacted by the disaster. To date, 10,040 individuals have applied for disaster assistance in the state.

Federal and state disaster recovery officials urge those who have not done so to apply as soon as possible. There are two ways to begin the application process. People may call FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech and hearing impaired. Both numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week until further notice, and multilingual operators are also available to answer the call.

Residents with Internet access now have the option to register on the agency’s Web site at http://www.fema.gov where valuable recovery information is also available