Oct. 28 is deadline for federal disaster assistance

If you suffered damage from the July 31 flash flooding in southern Whitley County and haven’t applied for federal disaster assistance but plan to, then you’re in luck as the application deadline has been extended to later this month.

The deadline to register for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance in connection with July flooding across eastern Kentucky is Friday, Oct. 28, at 11:59 p.m.

Residents of any of the following counties are eligible to receive possible federal assistance: Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Whitley.

FEMA assistance for individuals affected by the July floods can cover rental assistance, temporary housing, home repairs, personal property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

To register call (800) 621-3362, go online at www.disasterassistance.gov, or use the FEMA app for smartphones.

If you have insurance, you are encouraged to file a claim for damage to your home, personal property and vehicles before you apply for FEMA assistance. FEMA cannot duplicate other sources of assistance you may have received.

If you have been asked to complete a disaster loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), please complete it as soon as possible. If SBA does not offer you a low interest loan, you may be eligible for additional FEMA grant assistance to replace essential household items, replace or repair a damaged vehicle, cover storage expenses, or meet other disaster-related needs.

Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA website at sba.gov/disaster. Applicants can visit a disaster recovery center, call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. If you are deaf, need hearing assistance of, or need speech assistance,, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

As of early September, about 250 Whitley County residents had already applied for federal disaster assistance.