FEMA, SBA set up shop in Carrollton
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For residents and business owners affected by last week’s flooding, help is here in the form of a disaster recovery center that opened at 590 Hay’s Mill Road in Carrollton on Monday.
The center will be manned by representatives from Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration as well as state agencies such as the Georgia Department of Health, which will be offering crisis counseling, and volunteer organizations such as the Salvation Army and Red Cross.
“The purpose of the recovery center is to give resources to those affected by the latest Georgia flooding,” said William C. Lindsey, a public information officer for FEMA. “It’s a one-stop shop for recovery resources.”
People need to register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or online at fema.gov before visiting the center. When they register, affected residents will be assigned a registration number that will allow the representatives to access their information at this center or at any other they might visit. That number is their lifeline to FEMA and they will need it to access FEMA’s services.
Once they register, people will be able to apply for grants for housing repairs, money for temporary housing, and receive help from FEMA’s mitigation team, which offers expert advice on clean up, eradicating mold and construction advice on repairs as well as how to protect properties from flooding in the future.
“As far as your home, we want you to, of course, take pictures of everything that you see that needs to be replaced – television, refrigerator, appliances, computers, anything that may have suffered damage during the storm,” Lindsey said. “After you make registration, we have inspectors that go out.”
The inspectors make an appointment to visit the home seven to 10 days after registration with FEMA to estimate the damage and a resident over the age of 18 must be there when they come, he said.
Right now FEMA is offering up to $30,300 for temporary housing, repair or replacement and building damage. However, damages can be much higher. That is where the Small Business Administration takes over. The two agencies work in tandem on disaster relief. While FEMA can offer grants, the SBA offers low interest loans, as low as 2.75 percent for home loans and 4 percent for businesses, for residents to repair, rebuild or even relocate. The money can also be used to make improvements that can protect properties from future flooding.
“Our name says Small Business Administration, so people may think that we’re only here to help businesses, but when it comes to disaster assistance, SBA helps homeowners, renters and businesses,” said Richard C. Daigle, communication specialist for the SBA. “In fact, when it comes to disaster loans that we give out, we give out far more money for homeowners and renters than we do for businesses.”
The SBA can loan up to $200,000 for uninsured home loss and $40,000 uninsured content loss such as furniture, electronics, automobiles. For renters the SBA can loan up to $40,000 for uninsured loss of personal property. For business owners the SBA can loan up to $2 million.
SBA is a separate application from FEMA and has a Nov. 23, 2009, deadline for its application. Residents should apply for the loans even if they don’t think they need them. They can choose not to take the money if they don’t want it, and anyone who is denied a loan for whatever reason is referred back to FEMA and may be eligible for more FEMA dollars.
“There are two very important steps in the recovery process to put yourself in position to receive the maximum amount of financial aid,” Daigle said. “The first is of course ... register with FEMA, and people pretty much get that message because they kind of understand FEMA and who they are, but the second step is to apply for this SBA loan.”
Business owners may also apply for revenue lost in connection with the flood. For instance, the business may not have been flooded but the neighborhood it served may have been, so the residents aren’t spending their money there anymore. Those loans, for economic injury, have a later deadline of June 24, 2010.
Residents and business owners may apply for the loans at the center, by phone at 1-800-659-2955 or online at sba.gov.
“There is no financial distribution at the centers,” Lindsey said. “What’s there at the disaster recovery centers is registration ability, ability to register, ability to know what resources are in the area whether it’s from a volunteer groups – Red Cross, churches. There are also crisis counselors that are available there.”
The center will be manned by representatives from Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration as well as state agencies such as the Georgia Department of Health, which will be offering crisis counseling, and volunteer organizations such as the Salvation Army and Red Cross.
“The purpose of the recovery center is to give resources to those affected by the latest Georgia flooding,” said William C. Lindsey, a public information officer for FEMA. “It’s a one-stop shop for recovery resources.”
People need to register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or online at fema.gov before visiting the center. When they register, affected residents will be assigned a registration number that will allow the representatives to access their information at this center or at any other they might visit. That number is their lifeline to FEMA and they will need it to access FEMA’s services.
Once they register, people will be able to apply for grants for housing repairs, money for temporary housing, and receive help from FEMA’s mitigation team, which offers expert advice on clean up, eradicating mold and construction advice on repairs as well as how to protect properties from flooding in the future.
“As far as your home, we want you to, of course, take pictures of everything that you see that needs to be replaced – television, refrigerator, appliances, computers, anything that may have suffered damage during the storm,” Lindsey said. “After you make registration, we have inspectors that go out.”
The inspectors make an appointment to visit the home seven to 10 days after registration with FEMA to estimate the damage and a resident over the age of 18 must be there when they come, he said.
Right now FEMA is offering up to $30,300 for temporary housing, repair or replacement and building damage. However, damages can be much higher. That is where the Small Business Administration takes over. The two agencies work in tandem on disaster relief. While FEMA can offer grants, the SBA offers low interest loans, as low as 2.75 percent for home loans and 4 percent for businesses, for residents to repair, rebuild or even relocate. The money can also be used to make improvements that can protect properties from future flooding.
“Our name says Small Business Administration, so people may think that we’re only here to help businesses, but when it comes to disaster assistance, SBA helps homeowners, renters and businesses,” said Richard C. Daigle, communication specialist for the SBA. “In fact, when it comes to disaster loans that we give out, we give out far more money for homeowners and renters than we do for businesses.”
The SBA can loan up to $200,000 for uninsured home loss and $40,000 uninsured content loss such as furniture, electronics, automobiles. For renters the SBA can loan up to $40,000 for uninsured loss of personal property. For business owners the SBA can loan up to $2 million.
SBA is a separate application from FEMA and has a Nov. 23, 2009, deadline for its application. Residents should apply for the loans even if they don’t think they need them. They can choose not to take the money if they don’t want it, and anyone who is denied a loan for whatever reason is referred back to FEMA and may be eligible for more FEMA dollars.
“There are two very important steps in the recovery process to put yourself in position to receive the maximum amount of financial aid,” Daigle said. “The first is of course ... register with FEMA, and people pretty much get that message because they kind of understand FEMA and who they are, but the second step is to apply for this SBA loan.”
Business owners may also apply for revenue lost in connection with the flood. For instance, the business may not have been flooded but the neighborhood it served may have been, so the residents aren’t spending their money there anymore. Those loans, for economic injury, have a later deadline of June 24, 2010.
Residents and business owners may apply for the loans at the center, by phone at 1-800-659-2955 or online at sba.gov.
“There is no financial distribution at the centers,” Lindsey said. “What’s there at the disaster recovery centers is registration ability, ability to register, ability to know what resources are in the area whether it’s from a volunteer groups – Red Cross, churches. There are also crisis counselors that are available there.”
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