Ind. Disaster Assistance Tops $10 Million

A total $10.1 million in grants has been approved for assistance for 7,763 claims in Indiana since the disaster declaration on Jan. 21, according to figures released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Indiana State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Disaster officials added that the number of approved claims is expected to rise as more Indiana residents apply for assistance in the final weeks of the application period.

The following is an update of recovery activities as of close of business Thursday, March 3.

* 12,325 individuals from the 85 declared counties have applied for assistance.
* 7,663 claims have been approved for the Individuals and Household Program totaling $10,110,178 in grants.
* 1,944 people have visited one of the 24 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) that were temporarily opened in various locations to help meet the needs of disaster victims.
* 5,905 home loan and 954 business loan applications have been issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
* SBA has approved loans totaling $602,200.00 as of March 1, 2005.

SBA officials encourage anyone who has received a disaster loan application to turn it in as soon as possible. Failure to complete and return the SBA loan application could stop consideration for other assistance programs, including additional grants.

Individuals, families and business owners who suffered losses in the declared counties should apply for assistance by calling FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) (or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those with hearing or speech impairments). These numbers are available 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Multilingual operators are available to take the call. Individuals with Internet access now have the option to apply on FEMA’s Web site at www.fema.gov , where valuable recovery information is also available.

Recovery officials urge disaster victims to call or go online to apply before the Tuesday, March 22 deadline. Those who have received insurance settlements should also call to update their claim information.

Assistance can continue beyond the deadline, but March 22 will be the last day to call or apply online.