More counties get federal aid for TS Fay

More counties get federal aid for TS Fay

Bradford, Clay are eligible for relief

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Response Team has announced that federal aid has been made available to four Florida counties in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay.

Residents of Bradford, Clay, Madison and Taylor counties who suffered damage or loss as a result of Fay can now register for disaster assistance by FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). The hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired may call the TTY number at 800-462-7585 to apply. Multilingual operators are available to speak to applicants. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily until further notice. Applicants may also register online at www.fema.gov.

Disaster assistance for eligible individuals may include:

• Grants to help pay for temporary housing and home repairs to make homes habitable.
   
• Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
   
• Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. These loans are to repair or replace homes, businesses and personal property damaged by Tropical Storm Fay and continued flooding.

Clay, Bradford and Taylor counties were previously declared for FEMA's Public Assistance Program (emergency protective measures, debris and infrastructure program) and Charlotte County has now been designated for that assistance.

Public Assistance grants are awarded to help pay for emergency protective measures such as police overtime, debris clearance to open vital roads and rights-of-way, removal of threats to public safety and permanent repairs to roads, public buildings, utilities and parks, and recreation. Permanent work involves restoring infrastructure to its pre-disaster design. This could range from minor repairs to total replacement.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

SBA's disaster loans are the primary form of federal assistance for non-farm, private sector disaster losses. Disaster loans from SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations fund repair and replacement of disaster damaged real and personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 or visit online at www.sba.gov or email SBA's customer service center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

For statewide disaster information and to find out how you can Get A Plan! for disasters, please visit www.FloridaDisaster.org