Congressman Jeb Bradley's E-Newsletter SPECIAL EDITION: New Hampshire Floods June 8, 2006 The historic floods of 2006 are one of the worst disasters to hit the Granite State in a long time. As we realize the devastation left by the heavy rains and floods, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the number of Granite Staters who are only now beginning to piece their lives back together. It is thanks to the selfless firefighters, police officers, members of the New Hampshire National Guard, members of local and state highway crews, state and local officials, and volunteers that kept New Hampshire residents safe during the severe floods. I have seen much of the damage caused by the floods across the First Congressional District, and I know that cleanup is beyond the abilities of our hard-working state and local officials. Federal assistance will be crucial in the rebuilding process. Below, I have compiled helpful information for homeowners, businesses, communities, and those who want to help with the cleanup and rebuilding efforts. I encourage constituents to check my website regularly for future updates or to call my offices in Manchester or Dover if I can be of further assistance to you and your family. Help Available for Individuals Affected by Flooding At the urging of the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation, President Bush declared a federal disaster for seven counties in New Hampshire: Belknap, Carroll, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford counties. This declaration paves the way for individuals and businesses who have suffered losses as a result of the floods to be able to file claims for federal assistance. Under a major disaster declaration, FEMA is authorized to provide financial assistance, up to $27,200, to individuals and households whose property has been damaged or destroyed and are not covered by other insurance. Individual and Housing Assistance provides funding of up to $5,400 for repairs to housing and up to $10,900 for the replacement of a home. After that, homeowners may be eligible for a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA offers loans up to $200,000 at 2.68 percent interest rate for as long as 30 years for the repair or replacement of real estate. FEMA also provides funding for expenses such as medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, moving and storage. If a homeowner’s SBA loan application is approved, the homeowner may qualify for additional funds to cover the cost of improvements that will protect one’s property against future damage. The SBA offers mitigation loans in addition to the amount of the approved loan, but not exceeding 20 percent of the approved loan amount. Before you can receive FEMA assistance, you must first register. THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE WAS JULY 24TH. Three Ways to Register for FEMA Assistance: •   Call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (TTY: 1-800-462-7585) •   Register online at www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm •   Visit one of the four Disaster Recovery Centers in New Hampshire*:      o   Community Action Program office for Belknap-Merrimack Counties, 2 Industrial Park, Concord      o   Rockingham Community Action Center, 55 Prescott Road, Raymond      o   Southern NH Services, 40 Pine Street, Manchester      o   Strafford County Community Action office, 150 Wakefield Street (the Community Center), Rochester * FEMA closed its operations at the four NH Disaster Recovery Centers on Saturday, June 17, 2006. The SBA closed its disaster loan centers in New Hampshire on Thursday, August 10, 2006. The centers will remain open as Operation Flood Recovery Sites under the direction of local community action programs. For insurance claims, contact your insurance provider to find out what sort of coverage you have on your home and property. The New Hampshire Insurance Department also has more information on its website: www.nh.gov/insurance/. Those who are now unemployed as a direct result of the disaster may qualify for state assistance under the Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program or the Unemployment Compensation Program. New Hampshire Employment Security is urging citizens to file their claims by June 30. To open a claim, call 1-800-468-1608 between 8 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Additional Resources for Homeowners Affected by Flooding Below are some helpful websites that offer tips for homeowners on what to do before and after a flood, including environmental and health concerns: www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm www.des.nh.gov/floodinfo.htm www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/DHHS_SITE/disaster.htm www.state.nh.us/safety/divisions/emergservices/bem/index.html www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_570_,00.html www.woodriver.org/FloodInfo/Checklist.htm “Protecting Your Home From Future Flood Damage” Help for Businesses Affected by Flooding New Hampshire businesses that have been affected by flooding may qualify for federal assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA provides three types of low-interest disaster loans: Home Disaster Loans (see “Help Available for Individuals Affected by Flooding”), Business Physical Disaster Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The SBA can provide loans of up to $1.5 million to businesses for the repair or replacement of real estate, machinery, equipment and all other physical losses. They also provide loans of up to $1.5 million to alleviate economic losses (i.e., lost sales) as a result of the disaster. Typically, a business can borrow at four percent for 30 years. Please read “U.S. SBA Disaster Loans Fact Sheet” for detailed information on the types of SBA loans that are available, including the terms and interest rates of the loans. You can also access information at www.sba.gov/disaster or by calling 1-800-U-ASK-SBA. Mail completed applications to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Rd., Ft. Worth, TX, 76155. The deadline for economic injury applications is Feb. 26, 2007; the deadline for physical damage applications expired on July 24, 2006. *NOTE: The SBA closed its disaster loan centers in New Hampshire on Thursday, August 10, 2006. NH residents and businesses can still obtain SBA disaster loan assistance applications by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 or logging on to www.sba.gov/disaster. Additional Contacts for More Information: •   New Hampshire SBA office in Concord at (603) 225-1400 or www.sba.gov/nh/ •   New Hampshire Small Business Development Centers at www.nhsbdc.org/ (several locations around the state) •   Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) at 603-666-7561 or www.score-manchester.org// Help Available for Communities Affected by Flooding The President has also amended the State’s request for a disaster declaration to cover public infrastructure. The amended declaration will allow the state, local governments and certain non-profit organizations to apply for federal assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. These facilities may include roads, bridges, sewage treatment plants, schools and utility facilities. More information about FEMA’s Public Assistance Program can be obtained at www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm. Please check my website regularly for further updates on federal assistance, recovery efforts and other information that may be helpful to you, your family, and/or your business. My staff and I look forward to helping you and addressing your questions or concerns, so please do not hesitate to contact me: Washington Office 1218 Longworth Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-5456 (202) 225-5822 fax Manchester Office 33 Lowell Street Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 641-9536 (603) 641-9561 fax Dover Office 104 Washington Street Dover, NH 03820 (603) 743-4813 (603) 743-5956 fax Click here to send me an electronic message or to subscribe to my e-newsletter.