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Disaster Recovery Center closing |
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Thursday, 22 May 2008 |
The Saline County Disaster Recovery Center at Holland Chapel Baptist Church in Benton is closing today.
On Friday, the center, in the church’s Family Life Center, 15523 Interstate 20, will transition to a U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Outreach Center.
Low-interest disaster loans from the SBA are available to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private and non-profit organizations.
The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Tuesday. The DLOC will be closed Saturday through Monday in observance of Memorial Day.
About 140 people affected by the recent severe storms have visited the Disaster Recovery Center since it opened April 30, and $1.2 million has been allocated so far for the disaster, said Jamilah Fraser with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The center opened after the county was declared a federal disaster after the April 3 severe storms that brought three tornadoes and flooding in the county.
“Numerous disasters that have struck Arkansas have been very devastating,” she said. “With the help of state and other agencies, along with county officials, FEMA has been able to do its job.”
People who have disaster assistance questions after the center closes or people who want to check the status of their application can call FEMA’s helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Lines are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
June 27 is the deadline to apply for disaster assistance for damages resulting from the April tornadoes and floods.
Saline County again was declared a federal disaster area from the May 2 storms that hit Hensley, which is in both Saline and Pulaski counties.
“Anyone with property damage by the May 2 severe storms, flooding and/or tornadoes, needs to call the 1-800 number or visit the Web site (www.fema.gov),” Fraser said.
“They need to call if they were affected by the May 2 storms,” she explained. “They may qualify for up to $2,880 and a slew of federal aid programs, such as housing, repair or even replacing items in their household.”
Fraser noted that FEMA encourages people to obtain flood insurance.
“Most areas in Saline County are covered by the National Flood Insurance program,” she said. People may call their city or county government offices or the Saline County Office of Emergency Management to find out whether they are on the list of areas covered. The coverage rate is around $200 per year, Fraser said.
Anyone not able to visit the SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center set up at Holland Chapel should call the SBA at 1-800-659-2955 or visit the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov.
“The DLOC will continue the SBA portion of the Disaster Recovery Center just as people have seen it operate,” said Phil Duncan, SBA public information officer. “The purpose of reopening the center is other agencies have winded down their services, and we felt like we needed more time to serve the people of Saline County.”
Disaster loans from SBA are the primary source of funds for repairing and rebuilding disaster-damaged private property. So far, SBA has approved more than $4.7 million in low-interest disaster loans to Arkansas residents and businesses affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in March and April. Disaster loans cover uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits from other agencies or organizations.
Courier reporter Matt Burks contributed to this report.
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