Indiana Department of Homeland Security Director Joel Thacker speaks to the media about disaster recovery efforts outside Indiana Government Center South Thursday in Indianapolis.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS — Federal and state officials are encouraging residents to apply for disaster relief as the deadline to apply quickly approaches.
June 14 is the last day for Indiana residents affected by the March 31 to April 1 storms and tornadoes to register for federal assistance, including Johnson County residents. Severe storms caused a total of 23 tornadoes across the state, damaging more than 1,000 structures, injuring 34 and killing five.
In Johnson County, two tornadoes touched down on March 31: an EF-0 near Bargersville that downed power lines and damaged buildings and an EF-3 that caused significant damage in Whiteland, damaging 179 homes — including destroying 16. Straight-line winds also caused damage across the county.
Since a federal disaster was declared, federal funding has been made available to affected individuals not only in Johnson County, but also Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Lake, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan and White counties. Assistance available includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Officials from the FEMA and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security stressed the importance of applying for aid — and not waiting for insurance to do so — during a press conference Thursday at the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis.
“We want to make sure the survivors that are out there that have been impacted by these disasters in the counties that were impacted across Indiana is to sign up for assistance,” said Thomas Sivak, FEMA Region 5 administrator.
Since April 15, both FEMA and the Small Business Administration have approved more than $8.3 million to help survivors of the storms recover. The SBA has approved more than $6.7 million in disaster loans to individuals and businesses, and FEMA has approved $1.7 million in individual assistance grants, federal officials said.
As of May 31, FEMA has received 2,311 applications from residents across the 12 affected counties. There have been 285 applications from Johnson County residents, the third-most in the state so far, only behind Lake County with 781 and Allen County with 300, according to FEMA.
June 14 will also mark the closure of FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers, which are designed to help residents with submitting documents in person to speed the application process along. This includes the Whiteland center, 999 N. Front St., Sivak said.
Until the deadline passes, residents will still be able to visit the center to sign up for aid. Residents can also still sign up for aid through the FEMA app, over the phone at 800-621-3362 and online at disaster assistance.gov, he said.
For SBA assistance, the deadline for homeowners, renters and non-profits to apply is June 14. The deadline for businesses to apply for an economic injury loan is Jan. 15, 2024, federal officials say.
These loans help cover disaster-caused damage or mitigation to help prevent future storm damage. People do not need to own a business to apply for a disaster loan, officials said.
Federal officials also offered guidance for appealing a determination that a resident is ineligible for disaster assistance. Residents should read the letter carefully to determine why, and within 60 days, they should gather the documents requested, write a letter to explain why they’re appealing, then submit the documents, letter and cover page from the determination letter through one of the following ways:
- Mail to FEMA National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055
- Fax to 800-827-8112 (Attention: FEMA)
- Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov and click “Apply Online”
- Bringing the documents to a Disaster Recovery Center
Sivak also emphasized the importance of being prepared for future disasters. They could happen at any time, he said.
Federal officials encourage residents to go to Ready.gov to learn more about emergency preparedness.
HOW TO GET AID
Residents who sustained losses because of severe weather late last month can apply by June 14 for federal assistance in three different ways:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov for the Individuals and Households Program. People can apply for Small Business Association help at DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov.
- By phone at 800-621-3362. TTY users can call 800-462-7585; 711 or Video Relay Service users can call 800-621-3362.
- Downloading and using the FEMA App
- In person at the Whiteland Disaster Recovery Center, 999 N. Front St., from9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday, and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday. Closed on Sundays.
The FEMA helpline will be available from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
To apply for assistance, residents need the following information:
- Address with zip code
- Condition of damaged home
- A general list of damage and losses
- Insurance information, if available
- Social Security number
- Banking information, if they choose direct deposit for funds
- Phone number where they can be reached
- Address where they can get mail or an email address for electronic updates
Source: FEMA
