Does Your Home Have Flood Damage?

Then here is some information that you should know.

If you own a house in an area where federal assistance has been approved you may want to contact FEMA to see if you can qualify for grants to help repair the damage in your home.

You will need to provide specific information such as addresses, insurance policies, bank account numbers, phone numbers and Social Security numbers. Have this information ready when you contact FEMA. You can visit their website and register online or you can call their toll-free 1-800 number as well. Their phone lines are open from 6am - to midnight. If you apply by phone, an intake officer will interview you. That will take about 20 minutes.

After registering, FEMA inspectors should come to your property within about a week. You don’t have to wait to start repairs, but document any work done and make sure it’s properly permitted. Take photos and keep receipts.

Keep in mind that while FEMA can grant as much as $30,300 for repair work, the average covered is less – $6,000 to $7,000. Grants will just pay for what’s needed to make a building safe and livable. Also, if insurance covers it, FEMA won’t. Money for repairs should arrive a week or so after inspection.

There may be other grant programs that one may also be eligible for including grant money to replace personal property, clothing, vehicles and medical needs.

Grant Programs For Minorities! Here is an excerpt from another online site: There are a multitude of grants for minorities to start a business or a non-profit organization. These grants for minorities are funded by the federal government as the government realizes that it had can be hard to get ahead in life, especially if you are a minority. Minority groups are not often given the chances required to make the most of their talents and skills, until now, when hundreds of thousands of dollars are available in grants for minorities. Do you have a great business idea but are unable to come with the capitol required to build the business? Perhaps you are part of a minority group that can make a difference in the community. There are grants available to start a business and even a non-for-profit organization to better the community. Taking the time to craft the grant letter and the business plan that is associated with the grant application can make all the difference in the approval. The grant committee is seeking business ideas and non-for-profit organizations that can make a substantial income for the grant applicant and allowing the individual to create an organization that can increase the viability of a community. There is one major benefit to grants for minorities. There are multiple grants for minorities available and very few minority groups that apply for the grants. Therefore, the chances of being approved for the grant that is being applied for is significantly improved with a minority grant.

Did you know that some community colleges offer a discount or free college tuition for seniors?

A for-profit business has been awarded a $5 million grant from one state’s funding program which helps the state with economic recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs. Through the use of this Fund, more than 30,000 jobs and $4.5 billion in investment have been created since 2001!

Disaster Loans That Are Forgivable?

Dear sirs:

I obtained an sba disaster loan in 2002. Is there a possibility that the loan can be forgiven in five years. There is a rumor going around that it can happen. Is it true?

Thank you

Well I guess my blog (and my website about grants look more professional than I thought! I'm certainly not a "Sir"

Thank you for your email. However the problem with your email is that you don't say what kind of loan it is that you obtained. The SBA has specific titles/names/reference numbers of all of their loan programs and that information you did not provide.

There are forgivable loans that become forgiveable in 3 - 5 years regarding disaster loans but a lot of them require that you take an additional loan from the SBA. (Meaning that the "forgiveable" loan was provided by someone other than the SBA) So that leaves the question of whether or not your loan was only from the SBA or was it obtained from more than one entity.

There are lots of programs that offer forgivable loans. For instance:

Grant Funds, if available may be used to assist economic recovery by providing:

• Low-interest loans to businesses
  

• Revolving loan programs to help businesses reestablish themselves
  

• Forgivable loans over 3-5 years
  

• Commercial rehab assistance

However the above program is not from the SBA.

You also did not mention whether or not you received the loan for your personal residence or business. It does make a difference. You also didn't mention what area the loan was for. For example in Minnesota flood victims were eligable for forgivable loans ONLY if they applied for additional funding from both FEMA and the SBA. If you did not qualify for the FEMA or SBA loans THEN you could apply for the forgivable loan elsewhere. Flood victims qualified for up to $23,000 in forgivable loans!

So unfortunately you have just not given me enough information.

Flood Victims Eligible For Government Assistance

Those affected by the Northwood tornado in North Dakota are eligible for financial assistance. If you have been affected you can contact FEMA via their website or by calling them via their toll-free number.

Financial Assistance can include:

• Medical, dental and funeral expenses
  
  
• funding for repairs to homes damaged by the flood
  
  
• Personal property
  
  
• Transportation
  
  
• and other expenses

Other Individual Assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other aid programs. Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will also be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance. Grants do not have to be repaid, but loans from the SBA must be repaid.

You should apply for assistance even if you have insurance, because you may find you are under-insured or have unmet needs after your insurance settlement. If you have not already contacted your insurance agent to file a claim, please do this as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim with your insurance company may affect your eligibility for assistance. Insurance is your main source for money to put your life back in order after a disaster. But there are many things that insurance does not cover, so disaster programs may be able to help.

Is Your Flood Area Eligible For A Federal Grant From FEMA?

Not Every Area Hit By Floods Will Get Grants?

I was very much surprised by the process that determines whether or not an area will get grant (as opposed to loan) help. For instance, in northern Virginia area residents sustained a lot of flood damage. FEMA denied them disaster assistance. Instead the SBA will spearhead a loan program for qualified residents at a lower interest rate. Number one I don't understand why its the SBA and not another agency that is handling this since it was always my thought that the SBA had to do with businesses and not personal residences. Number 2 I would love to know the reason why disaster assistance was denied for this particular area/region.

Of course when the residents heard of FEMA's decision they were outraged and they sent letters to that effect. It can take a lot of weeks before a decision is made as to whether or not an affected area will get disaster relief from FEMA. In the meantime the the residents still have to make a decision as to what they are going to do as far as repairing the damage to their residences. Some of them had no flood insurance which - of course - makes the whole situation worse for them.

So instead of grants, eligible residents can apply for loans at a rate as low as less than 3 percent interest. $200,000.00 is available for structural damage and $40,000.00 is available to replace personal property.

Again, I would love to know the reason why FEMA denied this assistance?

FEMA Doles Out $8.2 Million For New Hampshire Flood Grants

FEMA Doles Out $8.2 Million For New Hampshire Flood Grants.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports giving the most grants, more than $780,000 worth, to Salem residents since last week's application deadline.

Manchester received the second largest amount, more than $560,000 dollars.

The U.S. Small Business Administration reported awarding nearly 11.5 million in low interest loans to 415 New Hampshire individuals and businesses.

FEMA Gets Blasted Again!

There was a lot of financial assistance for those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Assistance in the form of grants and loans were given to residents, businesses and students. However FEMA has been blasted by politicians for demanding payments from students that got financial aid.

Eligible students received $5,000 in "emergency" money that they could use for emergency purposes. Some students even received 2 checks! However FEMA wants their "emergency" money back and is going after the students to get their money back. Even those students who were able to provide documented proof of how they spent the money have been given the "runaround". Claims of incompetence have been given to FEMA and its processes and procedures. All the while the interest is still gathering on the money that FEMA says that it wants back!

However angry protests by students (and their parents) to their senators has resulted into criticism of FEMA and its methods. As a result under new rules, students who received compensation for damages suffered from hurricanes Katrina and Rita can keep the money if they can prove through written documentation that they lived in campus housing for at least six of the 12 months prior to the 2005 storms.

Kansas Counties Eligible For FEMA Grants

If you live in one of the specified counties in Kansas that were affected by the May 2007 storms FEMA is looking for you because you may be eligible for FEMA disaster-related grants.

These grants include grants to help individuals pay for temporary disaster housing needs, grants for essential repairs needed to restore residences, grants to repair or replace damaged property, and grants for serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.

Deadline - June 26, 2007

If you're located in the New Hampshire area and your home was damaged by the Patriot's Day storm then you have until June 26th to call the FEMA Hotline. The regular FEMA office in that area has already been closed down but you still have until June 26th to reach them through their hotline number.

Over 2 million dollars has been allocated to the area for direct assistance which includes grants. Over 1500 people have already applied for the grant and the average grant award has been $2700 and on the average the money is received within 4 days!

Public assistance grants are also being made available.