Minnesota Disaster Assistance Tops $1 Million
BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:
More than $1.5 million in state and federal disaster assistance has been approved to help homeowners, renters and business owners in Blue Earth, Freeborn, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties who were affected by Sept. 21- 24 storms and flooding. Money is set aside to help disaster survivors...register now to see if you qualify for assistance.
To date, 630 people have registered for help or information regarding disaster assistance.
In addition to FEMA grants for individuals and families, other forms of disaster assistance are provided by partner agencies such as the U.S. Small Business Administration and voluntary agencies.
The following is a snapshot of the disaster recovery effort as of Dec. 15:
* 273 individuals and households approved for FEMA grants, including:
- More than $1.05 million approved for housing grants, including short-term rental assistance and home repair costs;
- More than $65,000 approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions: and
- More than $446,000 in SBA low-interest disaster loans.
* 502 home inspections completed.
* Six disaster recovery centers open in Individual Assistance-designated counties.
No matter the degree of loss or insurance coverage, survivors in the seven disaster-designated Minnesota counties are urged to apply for help by the Jan. 30, 2017 deadline. You can register:
* Online at DisasterAssistance.gov;
* Using the FEMA App; or
* Call 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Reasonable accommodations, including assistive technologies, may be available by calling the FEMA Helpline, or by making the request to a crew member.
Applying for disaster assistance is essentially a two-step process, which ensures consideration for all FEMA programs and SBA disaster loans. First, register with FEMA, then complete and return the no-obligation low-interest SBA disaster loan application, if one is offered. There is no charge to apply for the loan and if approved, no obligation to accept it.
Disaster assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and does not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits. Survivors should register even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive additional help after their claims have been settled.
A free multilingual guide to the types of available assistance is found online at fema.gov/pdf/assistance/process/help_after_disaster_english.pdf.
For more information on Minnesota recovery, visit the disaster webpages at fema.gov/disaster/4290, Ready.gov/Minnesota and dps.mn.gov/divisions/hsem. Follow us on Twitter @femaregion5 or @MnDPS_HSEM.
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