The deadline is nearing for residents and business owners who had damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee to apply for disaster assistance. The registration deadline is November 14, 2011. The deadline to submit a disaster loan application to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-related losses is also November 14, 2011.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) urge anyone who has not applied for assistance to call FEMA if they suffered damage from the storms and live, work or own a business in one of the following counties designated under the disaster declarations: Adams, Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wyoming or York County.
“Don’t miss out on the assistance that can help you recover,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Thomas J. McCool. “Even if you have insurance it may not cover certain costs resulting from the storms.”
FEMA’s 800 number is 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Operators take calls seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Disaster assistance applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly. For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. You can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. If you have a disability and need help registering, please don’t hesitate to contact FEMA to ask for help.
Applicants who have questions about the disaster assistance programs or questions about an application they already filed can call FEMA’s toll-free number listed above or visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). To locate a DRC near you visit fema.gov/drclocator.
For more information about SBA, call the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Affected residents may apply online at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. Applicants may also visit the SBA Web site atwww.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Article Courtesy of FEMA
Photo Courtesy of FEMA/Bill Koplitz
