One Week Remaining to Register for Fema Disaster Aid & Low Interest Loans From Us Small Business Administration - Deadline Oct. 31

Senator Lanza reminds Staten Islanders who were affected by Hurricane Irene that there is less than one week remaining before the Oct. 31 deadline to register with the Federal Emergency Management for possible disaster assistance.

It’s important that those who may need to register for aid do so as soon as possible. Registrations cannot be accepted after the October 31, 2011 deadline. Registration keeps open the possibility of a wide range of assistance. If your insurance coverage comes up short, or other damage appears later, you need to be registered with FEMA to be considered for disaster assistance.

To register, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week until further notice. People with hearing disabilities can use the TTY number, 800-462-7585. Applicants can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to “apply online for federal assistance.”

The registration period and the deadline apply to the major federal disaster declaration signed by President Barack Obama on August 31 that enabled residents and business owners in Richmond county to register for federal recovery aid.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is also providing low interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery & equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disasiter. There is less than two weeks remaining before the Oct. 31 deadline to submit disaster loan applications for physical damage caused by Hurricane Irene.   The SBA has approved over $34 million in Disaster Assistance Loans for residents and business owners in New York.

For assistance, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan application forms can be downloaded from www.sba.gov.  Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX  76155.