FEMA and SBA Urge Residents to Apply for Disaster Relief Before December 2nd Deadline

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by Lesley R. Chinn

The state of Illinois and the U.S.Department of HomelandSecuritys Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA)and Small Business Association(SBA) are currently teaming upto provide disaster relief assistance.They announced thatassistance is available betweennow and December 2.

With only 13 days left to qualifyfor assistance, the two groupsare encouraging people to takeadvantage of funding as a resultof the Presidential declaration,which was requested in Octoberby Gov. Rod Blagojevich, due tothe Hurricane-Ike related floodingin September. Assistance isavailable in disaster-designatedareas within Cook, DeKalb,DuPage, Grundy, Kane, La Salleand Will Counties.

As of November 17, more than$41.7 million of federal assistancehad been approved forover 38,858 of Illinois residentsand 35,457 Cook County residents,according to FEMA officials.FEMA also reported thatmore than 2,628 people visitedthe Oak Forest Disaster RecoveryCenter located at Oak ForestHospital on 15900 S. Cicero andthere were 322 visits at theAlbany Park Recovery Centerlocated at Northeastern IllinoisUniversitys Physical EducationBuilding on 3600 W. Foster.

While FEMA does not provideloans, grants are available up to$30,300 to help with disasterrelated expenses such as repairinga home, renting a temporaryplace, if your home cannot be inyou due to the storm and repairingor replacing lost personalproperty, said Kim Anderson, aFEMA spokesman.

When people come to register,they should come with theaddress of the damaged property;social security number;homeowners insurance andtheir telephone number. AFEMAinspector will then make a sitevisit to inspect the property freeof charge, Anderson stated.FEMA will determine what benefitsresidents qualify for basedon the information they provide.Anyone who needs assistance inCook County must now call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) for moreinformation or questions. Theycan also visit: www.fema.gov fordetails.

For business assistance, applicantscan go to the SBA. Disasterloans are available for up to $2million for repairs or replacementsof damaged or destroyedproperty, machinery and equipment,inventory, and other businessassets. Economic InjuryDisaster Loans are available onlyto small businesses and most privatenon-profit organizations tohelp meet working capital needscaused by the disaster.

For homeowners or renters whoare underinsured, they can qualifyfor a SBA low-interest loanfor up to $200,000 for structuraldamage on their homes. Fordamaged or destroyed personalproperty including vehicles,applicants can qualify for loansup to $40,000. Some people liketo wait closer to the deadline, butwe are encouraging them not toprocrastinate. A lot of people aremissing out on an opportunity,but the sooner they (get assistance)the better, said BonnyWright, an SBA spokesman.SBA disaster assistance informationis available by calling 800-659-2955, or by visiting SBAswebsite at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

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