Volunteer staff members from Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation approach a home on April 3 damaged by an EF-3 tornado, which struck the Park Forest neighborhood in Whiteland on March 31.
One week remains before the deadline to apply for federal disaster relief.
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. 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.
FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers, which are designed to help residents with submitting documents in person to speed the application process along, will also close on June 14. This includes the Whiteland center, 999 N. Front St.
For assistance from the Small Business Administration, 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.
Residents who sustained losses because of severe weather late last month can apply 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., from 9 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
If a resident wants to appeal a letter saying they are ineligible for disaster assistance, they should read the letter carefully to determine why, officials say.
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 by June 14
