FEMA and flood insurance adjusters do not need to see damaged appliances, furniture and other belongings. Homeowners and renters who lost items should “document, document, document” the losses with photographs and receipts of replacements.
The damaged items need to be by the roadside as debris so they can be picked up. “You do not have to wait for an inspector to remove debris,” a FEMA representative said.
People should clean-up their houses and can begin repairs before a FEMA inspector arrives.
That was among the information a crowd of citizens learned at the VFW Hall Friday night during a town hall meeting on disaster recovery. U.S. Representative Brian Babin led the meeting and he gathered experts from FEMA, the Small Business Administration and other agencies involved in the recovery after Harvey flooded the county.
Orange County Judge Brint Carlton said he signed leases Friday afternoon for spaces to set up Disaster Recovery Centers in Orange and Vidor. He did not announce the addresses or when the centers will be open.
The centers will have all the government agencies and some private non-profit groups helping in the recovery at one place where people can go to register, check on their status, or ask questions in-person.
All the members of the Orange County Commissioners Court attended, along with officals from Pinehurst, Bridge City and Vidor. No one from the City of Orange identified themselves to the crowd when Babin asked.
The congressman described the process for recovery as “a long, winding and frustrating trail.” He said he saw aerial photos showing the area between Houston and the Louisiana border as a huge lake. In Texas alone, 792,000 people have registered with FEMA. Florida and now Puerto Rico have since been hit by severe hurricanes and people there are also applying to FEMA.
He praised churches and volunteers for helping during the crisis. The crowd responded with loud applause when he mentioned the Cajun Navy.
Highlights of the information included:
* The deadline for applying for FEMA and SBA loans is October 24. FEMA payments for hotel rooms have been extended to that date, too.
* The maximum FEMA will pay for someone without flood insurance is $33,300. All flood insurance comes through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). People should file through FEMA and get a number. They do not have to have a rejection of insurance claim before filing for FEMA.
* SBA loans are available to help homeowners, renters, non-profit groups including churches, and businesses to recover. The maximum term of a loan is 30 years. They must register with FEMA before applying for a loan.
The interest rates are fixed for the term. Homeowners and renters have a 1.75 percent interest rate. Non-profit groups will pay 2.5 percent interest. Businesses have a 3.3 percent interest rate.
The maximum loans are $40,000 for a renter, $200,000 for a homeowner, and $2 million for a non-profit or business.
People who are currently paying on an SBA loan from previous storms will be able to get another loan.
* If an initial claim to FEMA or the SBA is rejected, apply again. An appeal process is allowed. A question from a homeowner who was rejected but someone he had allowed to live in an RV on his property got help. FEMA said more than one person applying from the same address will be rejected. The homeowner should try again.
Some people were immediately rejected because they did not evacuate. They, too, should try again. FEMA phone lines have been disconnecting calls because the volume has over-powered the agency’s system.
* FEMA buyouts of flooded properties is a long process that could take years. The buyouts come through local government entities, who will request a buyout. Those entities will be a city in an incorporated area or the county in rural areas.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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