MIDLOTHIAN, Va. -- One month after federal disaster aid was made available for Louisa County earthquake survivors, more than $5 million in grants has been approved, officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced today.
Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has made financial assistance totaling more than $700,000 available in the form of low-interest disaster loans.
Here is a summary through Sunday, December 4, of state and federal assistance to Louisa County residents and business owners who suffered losses due to the earthquake and aftershocks between August 23 and October 25, 2011:
$5,171,588 in total housing and personal needs has been approved. Of that amount, $5,142,403 has been approved for housing expenses, including temporary rental assistance, home repair costs and assistance toward replacing destroyed homes. $29,185 has been approved as Other Needs Assistance to cover essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions.
$715,100 in loans to homeowners, renters or business owners has been approved by SBA . 2,559 applicants have registered with FEMA for some form of disaster assistance.
Joint VDEM/FEMA teams of /Community Relations (CR) field specialists have distributed more than 10,000 flyers and worked throughout Louisa County to identify disaster survivors and urge them to register for assistance. Recently, the CR teams have been reminding survivors that the deadline for registering is January 3 and recommending that they register before the hectic holiday period.
"If you find damage after the registration period has ended and you have not registered, you will not be eligible for assistance. That's why you should register now, before the January 3 deadline. Don't forget!" said Federal Coordinating Officer Don Keldsen of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
