The below is a press release issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reposted here as a courtesy for Second District constituents.

With just a week left to apply for assistance, more than $36 million ($36,968,966) has already has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as they continue to assist the state of Kansas and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) in the recovery from the severe storms and flooding June 26-July 25.

Residents in the 23 counties eligible for Individual Assistance under the July 2 declaration and subsequent amendments who suffered damage from the June/July storms and flooding have just over a week to call and register for assistance.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007.

The 23 counties eligible for Individual Assistance are Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Edwards, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harper, Labette, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Pawnee, Wilson, and Woodson.

The toll-free telephone registration line, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., CDT, Monday through Saturday. The TTY number for residents with special speech or hearing needs is TTY 1-800-462-7585. Eligible residents also can register online at www.fema.gov.

Disaster recovery efforts through August 23 include:

• 3,927 individuals and households from 23 designated counties have applied for assistance.
• Nearly $14 million ($13,841,705) in Housing Assistance has been approved to cover rental assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs. There is one family living in temporary housing supplied by FEMA.
• More than $3 million ($3,462,340 in Other Needs Assistance (ONA) has been approved to cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
• 6,811 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the region have been made by people affected by the disaster who have met with recovery experts there.
• 3,162 home inspections have been conducted.
• Public Assistance grants totaling $154,121 have been obligated to date in response to 222 Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) from public entities (counties, cities, eligible private non-profit agencies). The remaining RPAs currently are being evaluated and additional RPAs are being received. Under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, qualifying jurisdictions can be partially reimbursed for eligible emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities and infrastructure.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $19 million ($19,510,800) in low-interest disaster loans to Kansas residents and businesses. The SBA provides low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes.

SBA representatives at all the Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to meet individually with each applicant to provide assistance in completing their disaster loan application, answer any questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, and accept completed disaster loan applications. Anyone not able to visit a center should call 1-800-659-2955 for SBA assistance or visit the Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Under the July 2 declaration and subsequent amendments, FEMA Public Assistance grants are authorized to assist state and local government agencies and eligible private nonprofit organizations with the response to and recovery from the disaster in 23 counties: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Edwards, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harper, Labette, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Pawnee, Wilson, and Woodson. For more information, governmental and private, non-profit organizations in these counties should contact their local emergency management officials.