Hurricane Irene

Federal Emergency Management Agency

I. Individual Assistance(i.e. aid directly to families) will provide federal aid and funding directly to affected individuals in Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie counties in our district. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or underinsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov  or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362). 

Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

 

II. Public Assistance(i.e. aid to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations) will be available for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the hurricane in Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schoharie counties in our district. Officials from these organizations should contact the Governor’s Office or the NY State Emergency Management Office (SEMO):

New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO)

1220 Washington Avenue

Building 22, Suite 101

Albany, New York 12226-2251

Phone: (518) 292-2275

Fax: (518) 322-4978

www.semo.state.ny.us

 

III. Small Business Admistration Disaster Loans -- Low interest loans from the U.S. Smal Business Adminitration are available for individuals and businesses. Individuals can borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowers and renters are eligible up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million for physical losses and working capital needs.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 800-621-FEMA (3362), (TTY) 800-462-7585 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Additional information the loan application process and the locations of Disaster Recovery Centers can be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955(800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 

Those affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is December 15, 2011.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 31, 2012.