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Tens of Thousands of Pennsylvanians Register with FEMA for Irene and Lee Damage

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Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians in 28 disaster-declared counties have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.   However, time is running short for anyone else to register if they think they may need help recovering from the storms.  The deadline is November 14th and the application for an SBA loan is also due by that date.

FEMA spokeswoman Susan Solomon says you can always turn down the help if you find you don’t need it. The number to call is 1-800-621-3362.

Solomon says there are a lot of people who feel they can take care of themselves and they don’t want to take help away from anyone else.  She says when you register with FEMA, it does not add to or take away from what anyone else might receive in disaster assistance.

Solomon says there are also people who may be waiting for their insurance settlement.  She says they want those people to also register with FEMA. It will allow them to be eligible for certain types of help in case something goes wrong with their insurance settlement.

More than 85 thousand households have registered and FEMA has already approved over 115 million in disaster assistance grants in Pennsylvania.

Flooded backyard near Goldsboro railroad underpass.

PHEAA OFFERS SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO FLOOD VICTIMS

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Students who were hit hard financially by flooding from Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee might be able to get additional state grant money to help with higher education costs.    The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency has a process that allows grant award applicants to submit a casualty loss form for reconsideration of state grant awards when they’re affected by a disaster.

PHEAA spokesman Mike Reiber says the process applies to those who received grant awards and even those who applied, but did not receive an award. However, those who did not apply for a state grant for the current academic year will not be able to seek the extra assistance.

Reiber says if a disaster affects a student’s ability to pay for their education, they should learn more about submitting a casualty loss form. He says they may be eligible for an increase in their award to help them through this difficult time.

Reiber says he was a victim of Agnes flooding in 1972, so he understands that it can be very devastating and it’s encouraging for these students to know there may be some help available.

The forms are available at PHEAA.org/casualty-loss.