Federal assistance available to those affected by severe storms, tornadoes and floods in Tulsa, Muskogee and Wagoner counties
Excerpt from the Tulsa World.
By Kelsy Schlotthauer | Tulsa World | Jun 3, 2019
Assistance is available in many forms to individuals and business owners affected by the storms beginning May 7, including grants for temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the declaration Sunday, thanking Trump for his support and “quick action.”
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration and local emergency managers to schedule damage assessments in other affected counties as early as this week, the release states. Teams will survey damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities.
Funding is available statewide on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures, and to state, tribal and local governments and some private nonprofit organizations in Tulsa, Muskogee and Wagoner counties for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including overtime pay for first responders.
Emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance will also be provided to Haskell, Kay, LeFlore, Noble, Osage, Pawnee and Sequoyah counties.
SBA loans available for recovery, improvement projectsBusinesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size can borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory and other business assets, according to a U.S. Small Business Administration news release.
SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs for small businesses, agricultural cooperatives, businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations. Economic injury assistance is available to businesses regardless of property damage, the release states.
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace real estate, and homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property.
Business owners and homeowners can also obtain additional funds to help with the cost of improvement projects to prevent the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.
Interest rates can be as low as 4% for businesses, 2.75% for private nonprofit organizations and 1.938% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years, according to the release.
Those wishing to be considered for all forms of disaster assistance must first contact FEMA at disasterassistance.gov. When Federal-State Disaster Recovery Centers open throughout the affected areas, SBA will provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants.
Additional information and details on the location of disaster recovery centers is available by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955.
Apply for assistance
Residents and business owners who suffered losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362), or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.
The toll-free numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.