DES MOINES - On Thursday, Governor Chet Culver and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that residents and business owners who suffered damages from the tornados and flooding in disaster-declared counties now have until October 31 to register for federal-state disaster assistance.

“As Governor, I am committed to ensuring that those Iowans who have been impacted have access to the resources they are entitled to,” said Governor Culver. “With this extension, Iowans will have more time to apply for disaster assistance, and I encourage all Iowans affected to do so as soon as possible.”

“We’ve extended the registration deadline to allow people an additional period of time to register for assistance,” said Bill Vogel, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer. “If you had damage or uninsured losses and have not yet registered, call FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

Disaster assistance can include: funding for temporary disaster housing assistance; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans for individuals and business owners to repair or replace real or personal property; replacement grants to help meet serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs; and, disaster unemployment assistance.

“If you had damage, you must be entered in the registration system by October 31. Don’t prejudge yourself or feel that you may be taking something away from your neighbor,” Pat Hall, state coordinating officer of the HSEMD, said. “We want to make every effort to reach all the disaster victims and ensure that they receive the assistance they are entitled to for eligible losses.”

The registration period usually closes 60 days after the date of declaration, but due to the pervasive damage sustained throughout Iowa, FEMA and the state have extended the deadline. Applicants must call to register by October 31 to be in the system, although disaster assistance may continue beyond the deadline date.

“After you register for disaster assistance, an inspector will call you directly to make arrangements to visit your damaged home or apartment,” Bill Vogel said. SBA will also send an inspector to your home or business. “We advise registrants to ask for identification when an inspector arrives. FEMA and SBA inspectors all have badges with photo identification and there is no fee for their inspection.”.”

There are two easy ways to begin the registration process. You may call to FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585. Both numbers are available from 7 am to 11 pm (CDT), seven days a week until further notice, and multilingual operators are also available to answer your call. Residents with Internet access have the option to register on the agency’s website at http://www.fema.gov where valuable recovery information is also available.

Renter, homeowners and businesses in the following 78 counties are eligible to register: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Scott, Story, Tama, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth and Wright.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you known has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY Call 800-462-7585.

Editors: More information about the Iowa disaster is available online at www.fema.gov or www.rio.iowa.gov.