Time Dwindling for Flood-Affected Connecticuters to Apply for Assistance

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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently reminded homeowners, renters and businessowners in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties that less than two weeks remain to apply for federal disaster assistance to support recovery for uninsured or underinsured property damage experienced during the historic Aug. 18 rainfall and severe floods.

The deadline to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is Tuesday, November 19, 2024. The assistance was made possible by the major disaster declaration President Joe Biden approved in September for the three counties.

“At this point, we believe that the overwhelming majority of people who experienced damage from this storm and need disaster assistance have already begun the application process, but we want to remind anyone who may be waiting that they need to get their applications in by the November 19 deadline,” Governor Lamont said in a press release. “The extreme rainfall western Connecticut experienced a couple of months ago was on historic levels, and FEMA and the Small Business Administration have been very supportive in helping individuals and businesses in their recovery. I thank our federal partners for the assistance they are providing in Connecticut.”

Survivors are encouraged to file insurance claims for property damage before applying for assistance.

There are several ways to apply for FEMA assistance:

In-person at the Disaster Recovery Center located at Southbury Town Hall (501 Main Street, Southbury). The center is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov or through the FEMA mobile app.
By telephone through the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. (If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service, or others, give FEMA your number for that service. Helpline operators are available from 7:00 a.m. to midnight daily. Press 2 for Spanish. Press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language.)

There are several ways to apply for SBA assistance:

In-person at the Business Recovery Center located at Oxford Town Hall (486 Oxford Road, Oxford). It is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is closed on Sundays.
Online at SBA.gov/disaster.
By telephone through the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955. Individuals who are deaf or have hearing impairments may call 1-800-877-8339.

The press release said that disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster.

The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.

According to the release, although the deadline for most FEMA and SBA assistance programs is approaching in two weeks, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program will remain open for businesses until June 20, 2025. This program provides working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.

Topics Flood

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