Although the deadline for individuals and business owners in Volusia County to register for disaster assistance has passed, the federal government continues allocating funds to help survivors recover from the severe late-May storms, flooding, tornadoes and straight line winds.
More than $8.6 million has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in the recovery efforts, including assistance from the U.S. Small Businesses Administration (SBA).
Listed below is the final weekly report of disaster funds approved for residents and businesses:
* $6.47Â million was approved for the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) including:
o $5.08 million for housing expenses including temporary rental assistance, home repair costs and assistance toward replacing destroyed homes
o $1.39 million for other disaster related needs like personal property losses, medical, dental, and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by other resources or programs
* $2.18 million in low interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
* 4,702 individuals registered for disaster assistance with FEMA
* 3,787 home inspections were completed
* 3,969 visits were made to the two state/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers
Federal and state officials overseeing Volusia County’s disaster recovery urge all registered applicants to stay in touch throughout their recovery process. Staying in touch is as easy as using FEMA’s toll-free Helpline telephone number or Web site to update personal information like changes of address or phone number; reschedule inspection appointments; notify FEMA about insurance settlements; or ask questions about the status of a FEMA application.
Go online to www.disasterassistance.gov or call the Helpline toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Representatives are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. Multilingual services are also available.
Information about SBA programs is available by calling toll-free 800-659-2955 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
