Published: November 22, 2008 02:01 am      

Deadline to apply for disaster aid is Monday

Residents of Clark and Floyd counties, affected by September’s wind storm, have until Monday to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

To register, residents can go to the Web site www.fema.gov, or call 1-800-621-FEMA(3362). Those with speech or hearing impairments can call 1-800-462-7585.

The lines are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m every day.

FEMA individual assistance can include: Grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other major disaster-related expenses, such as medical care and personal property damage.

The U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, is also offering low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

SBA loans can cover personal losses up to $40,000 for homeowners and renters, and up to $200,000 for homeowners with physical damage to their primary residence.

Additionally, SBA is offering loans up to $2 million for uncompensated physical losses suffered by businesses and private nonprofit organizations.

Businesses may be eligible for working capital loans, though the combination of the two business loans cannot exceed $2 million.

Residents who received a SBA disaster loan application in the mail after applying with FEMA are asked to complete it even if they aren’t sure they want a loan.

The application is a step for being considered for FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance program, which covers personal property, vehicle repair and moving and storage expenses.

The deadline for applying holds for the 20 counties declared emergency areas, which along with Clark and Floyd are: Crawford, Dearborn, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Knox, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Martin, Perry, Pike, Porter, Scott, Spencer, Switzerland and Washington.