Residents of five Wisconsin counties have received $2.1 million in federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the ten days following President Bush’s major disaster declaration.
The aid comes after days and days of rain soaked much of the state in late August.
The $2.1 million in funds allocated to Wisconsin thus far do not include the money loaned to residents of flood-stricken areas by the Small Business Administration.
FEMA funds provide grants for disaster assistance throughout the country and are only available to residents in counties declared to be disaster zones.
Lori Getter, spokesperson for Wisconsin Emergency Management, said FEMA gives out money wherever and whenever it’s needed.
"It is an unlimited pot," Getter said. "Within a couple of days after the declaration came out, people were receiving checks."
Getter added that disaster housing assistance funding can be used for more than rebuilding.
"It could also be grants to help replace the items that were lost … [and] things people need, like washers and dryers," Getter said.
More than 1,600 families living in the five counties declared disaster areas — Crawford, La Crosse, Sauk, Richland and Vernon — have applied for assistance, according to a statement released yesterday by FEMA.
Getter said seven to eight counties, including Dane, may soon be declared major disaster areas as well.
"We’re still waiting for a declaration [for] Dane County, and we’re hopeful," Getter said. "Right now if you live in Madison, you’re not eligible for FEMA assistance.”
FEMA grants are only available to households, Getter said. Businesses must apply for loans through the SBA.
The SBA works closely with FEMA and provides low-interest loans to home and business owners.
Jelani Miller, public information officer for SBA, said the administration's funding comes from the federal government and aims to pay for disaster-related uninsured losses.
"[This program] is for people who have a shortfall in their insurance or if their insurance doesn't totally cover their losses," Miller said.
Homeowners can currently receive up to $200,000 for their primary residence, Miller said. Both renters and homeowners can obtain loans of as much as $40,000 for personal property losses.
"Essentially a homeowner can receive up to $240,000," Miller said. "Businesses can receive up to $1.5 million."
The SBA has two interest rates for loan repayment — low-interest and market — but 85-90 percent of loan recipients pay the lower rate of 3.125 percent. According to Miller, the market rate is currently 6.25 percent.
"The market rate is for those large firms or extremely wealthy individuals," Miller said. "Because this is a federally-backed program, we don't want to give low-interest rates to people who can pay for it themselves."
The SBA, Miller added, recommends victims apply for SBA loans before their insurance settlement because of time constraints. If an insurance company grants money, the SBA will take those funds and apply them towards an outstanding loan.
"A lot of times people wait to see if insurance will cover everything, and the deadline may have already passed," Miller said. "The deadline [to apply for funds] is set two months from the date of the declaration."
Miller said the deadline for Wisconsin residents to apply for funds is Oct. 25, 2007.
