If you?re a flood victim, you should apply for help from the federal government through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It doesn?t matter whether you have flood insurance or not or what kind of other insurance you have or if you have insurance at all. Federal assistance is available regardless, but you won?t get it if you don?t apply, said Bill Brubaker, a public information officer for FEMA.
President Barack Obama approved a declaration disaster for 19 midstate counties, covering the providing of assistance to individuals in each county that is declared a disaster.
You?ll also be able to apply over the phone using a toll-free number to be made public if the individual assistance declaration is made. You?ll also be able to apply online at www.fema.gov.
What kind of help is available from FEMA?
FEMA can provide grants of money to homeowners up to a certain amount. Brubaker said FEMA won?t buy you a new home, but you can get money to replace ruined clothes and for other things needed to make you safe and comfortable.
FEMA can also provide you with temporary housing in the form of a mobile home or money to put you up in a hotel or rental assistance.
He said help for small business owners is typically loans available through the Small Business Administration. SBA representatives would be at disaster-recovery centers.
What should I be doing now while I wait until I can apply?
Many midstate flood victims who don?t have flood insurance are already well on their way to cleaning up and restoring their property. Brubaker said that?s OK as long as you document what your loss has been. Hopefully, you took lots of photos and videos of the damage before you started your cleanup. If not, do the best you can to document the damage on paper after the fact.
Flooding is not covered in a standard homeowners insurance policy, according to the state Insurance Department. But it?s still a good idea to report your flood loss to your insurance agent just to make sure, said Willem Rijksen, a spokesman for the American Insurance Association.
If you have flood insurance, you should have contacted your agent and have a claim started by now. You should have been contacted by an adjuster, and you might be waiting for an adjuster to inspect your home or business.
In the meantime, if your property is safe to re-enter, go ahead and separate damaged property from undamaged property. But don?t throw anything away until an adjuster has seen it. If you have to throw something away, take pictures of the damaged property to document it for the adjuster and keep a sample for the adjuster to see ? such as cutting out a piece of wall-to-wall carpet. Do all you can to protect undamaged property.
How will I know when I can apply?
Brubaker said FEMA will use local media to get the word out regarding when the president has issued an individual assistance declaration, which counties are covered, where recovery centers will be, and how people can apply.
What do I need to provide FEMA to apply?
Bring anything you have that can help document and describe your loss ? photos, videos, what you?ve written in a notebook. Brubaker said it shouldn?t matter what format the photos are in.
You should bring your most recent income-tax statements, and proof of income, such as a recent pay statement. Proof of income is important for small-business owners seeking loans through the SBA.
Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/09/flood_victims_should_seek_fede.html
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