Community Corner

Sandy Victims Have Two Weeks Left to Register With FEMA, SBA

The deadlines for FEMA assistance and SBA loans are both May 1.

There are two weeks left for survivors of Superstorm Sandy who suffered damage to their homes to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline is midnight, May 1, according to FEMA officials. This is also the deadline for residents to return applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans.

Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585, and those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362.

Those platforms are also available to check the status of any applications.

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Residents can apply for low-interest home or business disaster loans by filling out an online application at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

The loans are the primary source for long-term rebuilding through the use of federal funds, according to FEMA.

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Those who have applied for assistance and loans are advised to keep in touch with FEMA and SBA, particularly as it relates to mailing address, email address and phone number changes.

Disaster recovery centers in Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, Monmouth and Hudson counties will remain open. FEMA staff will continue to be available at these locations to provide clarification to letters, assist survivors with finding a temporary home if their primary residence was damaged or destroyed, check on the status of applications for assistance or refer survivors to other agencies that may provide additional help.

Disaster recovery centers at the Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center in Leonardo, the Little Egg Harbor Senior Center in Little Egg Harbor Township and the Ocean County Southern Resource Center in Manahawkin will transition to SBA disaster loan outreach centers. The disaster recovery centers will close on Saturday, April 20, and the disaster loan outreach centers will open on Monday, April 22.

To find the disaster recovery center closest to you, visit FEMA.gov/DRC or call 800-621-3362.

As of Monday, April 15, over $384 million in grant money has been approved for home repairs or replacement, rental assistance and other needs.

SBA low-interest loans in the amount of $718.9 million have also been approved for over 10,900 homes and businesses.

For more information about the SBA, call the SBA Customer Service Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339.  Survivors may apply online at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants also may visit the SBA Web site at sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy.


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