FEMA Teams in area to access damage



FEMA teams have been in White County and the surrounding area since Saturday, April 22, to engage with the public and businesses for individual assistance for damage suffered during the March 31 storm.

FEMA representatives plan to be in the area going door to door for roughly 30 days to work with affected residents and businesses within White County, according to Chris Springer, Director of White County Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Representatives will be marked with a FEMA logo on their shirts and an ID badge. If residents or business owners need to report damages, they can do so by visiting www.disasterassistance. gov, or by calling (800)-621- 3362.

Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to businesses and residents in Indiana following the announcement of a Presidential disaster declaration due to damages from severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes from March 31 through April 1.

“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Indiana small businesses and residents impacted by this disaster in every way possible under President Biden’s disaster declaration for certain affected areas,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities recover and rebuild.”

The disaster declaration covers Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Johnson, Lake, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan, and White counties in Indiana, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.

Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Adams, Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clay, De Kalb, Delaware, Greene, Hamilton, Hendricks, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, Shelby, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Wells and Whitley in Indiana; and Clark, Cook, Crawford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Vermillion and Will in Illinois; Defiance, Paulding and Van Wert in Ohio.

Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.

A Business Recovery Center (BRC) is now open at the Grace Assembly of God Church in Whiteland. SBA Customer Service Representatives at the Center will assist business owners and residents in filling out a disaster loan application, accept documents for existing applications, and provide updates on an application’s status. The center will operate Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 2.375% for nonprofit organizations, and 2.375% for homeowners and renters, with terms of up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Building back smarter and stronger can be an effective recovery tool for future disasters. Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter, sump pump, elevation, retaining walls, and landscaping to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.

“The opportunity to include measures to help prevent future damage from occurring is a significant benefit of SBA’s disaster loan program,” said SBA Associate Administrator Francisco Sanches, Jr. “I encourage everyone to consult their contractors and emergency management mitigation specialists for ideas and apply for an SBA disaster loan increase for funding.”

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at disasterloanassistance. sba.gov/ ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17881.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at DisasterAssistance. gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621- 3362.

Disaster loan information and application forms can also be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services) or sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is June 14, 2023. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Jan. 15, 2024.

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