Shared Article: FEMA Relief: County Officials Urging Residents to Apply

This article was originally published by the Watertown Daily Times. It is reprinted here with permission.

JEFFERSON — The deadline for individual FEMA disaster relief is Monday, Aug. 31, and Jefferson County officials are urging residents to apply before it closes.

The intensity of April’s storm exceeded the capacity of the stormwater system in several areas, resulting in widespread surface flooding. In addition, the Rock River, along with local creeks and streams, reached flood stage.

April Flood Damage
Photo credit: Jefferson Fire Department / City of Watertown

Approximately $17.6 million in municipal damages occurred across Wisconsin, with another $9.8 million in damages for residential properties.

While the municipal deadline for FEMA relief closed, resources are still available for Jefferson County residents — but time is running out.

“Currently, we have 41 people in Jefferson County that have applied,” said Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Tracy Hameau. “FEMA doesn’t come around very often. We haven’t seen them in years, so this is very rare. If you have damages, (you) need to call.”

Potential eligible needs may include:

Home repairs needed to make an owner-occupied primary residence safe, sanitary and functional
Temporary housing assistance when a primary residence in uninhabitable
Replacement or repair of essential personal property, such as appliances, clothing, furniture, medical equipment, tools or school supplies
Disaster-related medical, dental, funeral, transportation, moving, storage or child-care expenses
Repair or replacement of an essential vehicle damaged by the disaster when not covered by insurance
Other necessary expenses directly caused by the flooding or wind event

Hameau admitted that the process could at times be arduous. She herself had to appeal several times for further relief after flooding destroyed her basement. But she was emphatic that some support would be better than no support.

“They will never make you whole...But if you need your flooring replaced, if you have sewage in your basement, they (might) pay you,” said Hameau. “We did a lot of legwork to get this FEMA declaration throughout the state with partners, and now that we have it, I want (people) to take advantage of it before it’s over. I can’t guarantee anything, but you may be eligible, so please apply.”

April Flood Damage 2
Photo credit: John Kaliebe / Contributed

She noted that while insurance coverage and FEMA assistance cannot cover the same repair, FEMA assistance can help cover parts of home repairs that insurance may not cover.

Applicants can apply online at disasterassistance.gov, via phone at 800-621-3362, or in person at the Disaster Recovery Center, 1717 Center Ave. in Janesville. The official disaster declaration number is 4923.

Businesses, nonprofits, homeowners, and renters may also apply for low-interest SBA disaster loans at https://lending.sba.gov/search-disaster/ or 800-659-2955 by Aug. 31, with an economic injury deadline of March 30.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.