By day’s end on Monday, more than 1,200 residents had registered with FEMA for help based on individual, housing, and other needs.
That’s about 92 average daily registrations since Aug. 2, when President Trump approved a disaster declaration for the four-county area.
A FEMA official expects those numbers to rise before Oct. 2. That’s the deadline for residents to either register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 (TTY No.: 1-800-462-7587) for help.
“We want to help people, that’s our whole point,” said Kurt Pickering, media relations manager at FEMA.
The agency hasn’t set an anticipated date to leave the area.
“As long as it is cost effective for us to be here doing it, we’ll be doing it,” Pickering said.
When a resident is approved, FEMA distributes program funds by electronic transfer.
“Sometimes people have gotten the money in hours, but I don’t want to set that expectation,” Pickering said.
The maximum a household can get is in the low $30,000 range, he said, noting that figure changes with inflation.
But, FEMA’s role is not to “put things back where they were, it’s to get (residents) out the short-term disaster.”
“We’re trying to keep people able to function … with safe, sanitary and secure shelter,” Pickering said.
He used a medically necessary generator as an example. FEMA would replace it if damaged or destroyed, help with medical and dental needs and even cover funeral costs if there are fatalities.
FEMA also helps with providing money toward a place to rent if one’s home is destroyed or uninhabitable, and can provide money for repairs to make the home livable.
The four-county disaster is “relatively small in the arena of what we do,” he said, citing responses to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.
“I’m hesitant to say that because if my house got flooded, it wouldn’t be a small anything,” he said.
Another difference is timing: Pickering, echoing other responders, said flood disasters take longer to evaluate than most others, including tornadoes and hurricanes. Flooding damage can be less obvious, he said.
Handling more than 90 registrations per day has made for “steady” work for contractors and officials. When one is received, an inspector – usually a contractor with FEMA credentials – responds to the home and completes a damage assessment.
As of early Tuesday, FEMA reports issuing 1,038 inspections and completing 91 percent of them with 10 inspectors in the field.
“We’re tracking pretty well, keeping up,” Pickering said, (but) “I don’t think everyone who has had damage has registered yet.”
FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Midland on Aug. 9 at the former Carpenter Street School, 1407 W. Carpenter St. – which was also home base for Team Rubicon, a national nonprofit of veterans and first responders that sent several members to the area after the flood – and one at a plaza in Mount Pleasant at 4855 E. Bluegrass Road on Aug. 10.
“We are probably going to open two more,” Pickering said.
FEMA makes several referrals to the Small Business Administration – a source that Pickering said has “a larger pot of money” and plays a big role during disaster recovery.
The SBA approves low-interest loans after a disaster – as low as 1.93 percent for homeowners and 3.21 percent for businesses with up to a 30-year payback.
Eighty percent of those registered with FEMA were referred to the SBA, said Gus Fernandez, SBA external affairs specialist. If not approved, residents are directed back to FEMA for other possible grants.
Fernandez said the SBA has approved 36 home loans in one week, totaling just over $1 million.
“The majority of applicants are from Midland,” he said.
Loans range from $1,000 to the maximum $200,000 for homes. The SBA sends a professional inspector after a person has applied. Personal property loans max out at $40,000.
Residents may then use the inspector’s evaluation as a tool for their own purposes – Fernandez advises not to wait for insurance settlements before seeking help from SBA.
“It’s a tool for you that you have if it takes longer than you expect, because you can do the repairs with SBA funds and pay back the money from insurance,” he said.
Businesses also have applied for help. Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. If no physical damage had occurred, they can also get help for “economic injury” – for example a loss of working capital or inability to pay bills due to downtime or slower business after a disaster.
Fernandez said residents should register with FEMA first, and if referred to the SBA, complete the loan application process. Deadline to apply at the SBA is Oct. 2. Call 1-800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit www.sba.gov/disaster. Businesses that have had no physical damage have until May 2, 2018, to apply.
SBA opened a business recovery center on Monday at United Way of Midland County, 220 W. Main St., conference room 205. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Saturdays and Sundays.
During the process, be vigilant: If you have suspicions of a FEMA rep that visits your house, ask to see ID. Inspectors are not FEMA employees but do have FEMA credentials. They are independent contractors that generally have insurance or engineering experience, Pickering said.
“If they want to charge you a fee, that person is not legitimate,” Pickering said.
———
©2017 the Midland Daily News (Midland, Mich.)
Visit the Midland Daily News (Midland, Mich.) at www.ourmidland.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
