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Having spent much of late June and early July inspecting flood recovery efforts, Rep. Tom Petri says he is impressed with Wisconsin's "can-do spirit," but worries that some are missing out on federal help for which they qualify.
"Wherever I went I found people putting homes and businesses back in shape, but some seemed unaware of federal aid available to them," Petri said.
Residents of Adams, Calumet, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jefferson, Manitowoc, Marquette, Sheboygan and Winnebago counties can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) toll-free to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, go online to www.fema.gov, or visit a local disaster recovery center (DRC), Petri noted.
"I visited DRCs in Juneau, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, and found our federal, state and local officials working hard to help citizens affected by high water," Petri said. "The DRCs are effective one-stop shops for several types of aid."
The Dodge County DRC in Juneau is scheduled to end operations at 7 p.m., Friday, July 11.
Petri emphasized that anyone who receives a Small Business Administration application should fill it out and return it promptly. "You can opt out if you don't want a loan, but the application serves as a basis for a variety of programs you might qualify for, and it helps the community by establishing a level of need," he said. The application deadline for physical loss loans from the SBA is Aug. 13, 2008. For economic injury loans it is March 13, 2009.
FEMA and the SBA are providing a wide range of aid, including emergency home repair, temporary disaster housing and replacement grants for serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs. Help is also available to protect buildings from future flooding.
Loan rates are as low as 4 percent for businesses, and 2.687 percent for individuals.
"If you have insurance, the government may help pay for basic needs not covered under your policy," Petri said. "For FEMA, apply before the Aug. 13 deadline. Don't wait to see what's covered. Some applications will be denied because the damages appear to be covered by insurance. Once a claim is settled, however, applicants with unmet disaster-related needs will be able to re-contact FEMA for reconsideration of their applications."
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