Two Weeks Left to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

Homeowners and renters in Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Rutherford, Tipton, and Wayne counties who had damage or losses in the March 31 to April 1, 2023, storms and tornadoes have just two weeks left to apply for federal disaster assistance.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023, is the last day to apply for a grant from FEMA and a disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

If Your Business or Home was damaged in the recent storm you may apply for assistance through FEMA at the Hardeman County Chamber of Commerce on May 24, 2023, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to file insurance claims for damage to their homes, personal property and vehicles before applying for FEMA assistance. FEMA assistance is not taxed and will not affect Social Security, Medicaid, or other federal benefits. If there is a delay in your insurance settlement, any FEMA funding would be considered an advance that must be repaid when you receive your settlement.

If approved for funding under FEMA’s Individual Assistance program, you may receive a limited amount of disaster assistance to make repairs to your primary home and/or repair and replace essential personal property when the damage is not covered by insurance. FEMA grants may also cover childcare, medical or dental care, and other serious disaster-related needs such as transportation and moving-and-storage expenses.

FEMA may refer individuals to the U.S. Small Business Administration even if they do not own a business or home. SBA loans are the largest source of federal disaster funding for people impacted by disasters. The deadline to apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the SBA is also June 6, 2023. If you decide you do not want to submit a loan application, you will not be eligible for additional assistance from FEMA.

To apply to SBA online or to download applications, go to https://DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/. You may call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov for more information or to have a loan application mailed to you. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

Completed paper loan applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. You may also apply with the help of an SBA representative or submit your loan application at a Business Recovery Center. To find one, click https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230421/its-important-return-your-sba-loan-application.

To apply for FEMA disaster assistance:

• Visit DisasterAssistance.gov
• Use the FEMA mobile app
• Call the Disaster Assistance Helpline at (800) 621-3362. If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply. Helpline operators speak many languages and lines are open from 6 a.m. to midnight Central Daylight Time daily. Press 2 for Spanish. Press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language.
• For an American Sign Language video on how to apply, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU7wzRjByhI&list=PL720Kw_OojlKOhtKG7HM_0n_kEawus6FC&index=6

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