FEMA Extends Deadline For Disaster Aid

It isn’t too late for Oklahomans impacted by May’s devastating floods to apply for federal assistance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s has set Aug. 14 as the new deadline to apply for individual aid.

As of July 23, 121 families in Sequoyah County have registered for FEMA aid. Of those applications, 63 of them were referred to the US Small Business Administration (SBA) for home and/or personal property damage. Thirty of the applications were referred to the SBA for physical damage to business property and 12 were referred for economic injury only (no physical damage to business property).

Also in Sequoyah County, as of July 23, 10 families have been approved for a total of $714,300 in home loans.

Louise Porter, SBA public information specialist with the Office of Disaster Assistance, said this data does not include disbursed funds, nor does it indicate the amount of loans that have been denied. There is also no data on how many cases have been referred back to FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance Program.

“I think there is still a lot of money on the table for Oklahoma,” Porter said.

To register with FEMA or for more information, go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362.

For help with SBA loans, people can apply for a low-interest disaster loan by visiting the SBA’s secure website, https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Flood victims can get more information on SBA disaster assistance by calling the agency’s customer service center at (800) 659-2955 or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Steve Rutherford, Sequoyah County’s Emergency Management director, said Oklahoma Emergency Management, FEMA and his department have reached an agreement on removing flood debris in Moffett. County Commissioner Ray Watts will have a crew available, as well as other groups, to haul off the debris, Rutherford said Monday.

In other flood recovery news, Sallisaw resident Robert Morris said that the $3,000 in proceeds from the recent gospel singing event in town was presented to the Moffett Relief Fund over the weekend.

There are already plans for another gospel fundraiser, this time in Gore. Morris said organizers are trying to find a suitable location for the celebration. If you know of any available sites in Gore, please reach out to Abundant Life Church in Sallisaw.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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