Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive |
FEMA Officials In Field Verifying InformationBY JOHN MILLERPublished Wednesday, January 31, 2001 in the Nevada County Picayune Inspectors with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are currently in the field verifying damage to homes from the ice storms. Officials with the disaster recovery teams ask applicants to make sure they see proper identification from those who say they are damage inspectors. FEMA employees are required to have a photo ID of some sort. FEMA inspectors generally schedule inspections within a week to 10 days after first contact is made by the property owner to check out the damage done and get information about any losses incurred. The American Red Cross may also sent inspectors to meet with disaster victims, while local building and safety inspectors may check and see if any buildings are damaged to a point of being unsafe. If an inspector can't provide a photo ID, call the police immediately, as the person in question could be running some type of scam or con. During the application process, though, those filing claims need to turn in their loan applications to the Small Business Administration. "There is help available for those who need it," said Raymond P. Chatham, SBA area director. "For the fastest response, it's important to return the complete application to us as soon as possible." However, SBA officials say returning the application does not obligate the applicant to accept a loan, but it is a needed step before being considered for other forms of disaster aid. By mid-January, almost 7,000 SBA loan packets were issued to Arkansas residents and businesses, but only 52 have been returned. SBA disaster loans cover uninsured or underinsured disaster losses. Loans up to $200,000 can be made to repair disaster damage to primary homes. Homeowners and renters who qualify may borrow up to $40,000 to replace personal property lost in the disaster. Personal property can be furniture, automobiles, clothing or other household items. Businesses and nonprofit organizations can qualify for loans up to $1.5 million to repair damaged real estate, machinery, equipment or inventory. Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to businesses unable to pay their bills or meet ongoing expenses because of the disaster. Many people don't realize it, but there is free legal counseling available for victims of the ice storm. FEMA has made arrangements with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association to provide this assistance for victims with disaster-related problems who otherwise aren't able to get legal help. The services provided include advice, counseling, and some types or representation such as: landlord/tenant issues; help with contractors and home repair contracts; guardianships; and powers of attorney. This advice is available to anyone in the 60 counties declared federal disaster because of the ice storm in December. The disaster legal services hotline toll-free phone number is 1-800-467-0372. The hotline is answered between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. FEMA is still looking for those who suffered losses because of the disaster. Those who haven't yet reported their losses need to call FEMA at 1-800-462-9029, or, for the speech and hearing impaired, 1-800-462-7585. Those who have applied for help, but haven't heard back from FEMA yet can call the help line at 1-800-525-0321, or 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing or speech impaired. Search | Nevada County Picayune by date | Gurdon Times by date |
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