Disaster Recovery Centers open in counties surrounding Platte

April 20-- Apr. 20--Platte County still hasn't erected a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) designed to put flood-affected residents in direct contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives.

This, however, isn't stopping them from visiting a few DRCs already up and running in neighboring counties.

Fourteen miles from Columbus is the Butler County DRC, located inside of the Bellwood Volunteer Fire Department, 752 41st Road. Also operating is the Colfax County DRC, set up inside of the county courthouse in downtown Schuyler, 411 E. 11th St. The Bellwood location is open from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. April 22-27, with the exception of Arbor Day on April 26. The Colfax County spot opened April 16 and will be open today from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. before permanently shutting its doors.

"These centers are specifically run by FEMA," Platte County Emergency Manager Tim Hofbauer said. "They are the ones who set them up, establish them and then operate them. It's a location where people can go to talk to them and then also file for (Individual) assistance if they haven't already. They can also check on the status of their filed claim.

"It's mainly just a place to make FEMA people accessible."

It's tentatively expected that a DRC will be erected in Platte County sometime next week, Hofbauer said. FEMA representatives on Wednesday looked at different Columbus locations to set up shop, but the emergency manager hasn't heard back on what the location will be.

"The teams go out ahead of time with logistics and they look at locations and these locations have to meet a certain number of parameters," he said. "Then the building owner has to sign an agreement, and once that is complete they can move forward."

Until the Platte County location is established, residents are encouraged to visit one of the other DRC locations in neighboring communities. Information provided by FEMA says that any disaster survivor can visit any open center to receive help.

First and foremost, Hofbauer said that people need to continue applying for Individual Assistance as needed. So far, he noted that 60 people have filed claims in Platte County. Statewide, released information shows that just under 5,000 people have filed claims and that just under $19 million in aid has been approved.

This includes $16,816,436 for housing and $1,921,413 for other disaster-related needs. The deadline to apply for Individual Assistance remains March 20.

Statewide, there are a total of 27 counties, as well as the Santee Sioux Nation, eligible for this assistance. Those counties are Antelope, Boyd, Burt, Cuming, Hall, Howard, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Saline, Stanton, Knox, Thurston, Boone, Buffalo, Custer, Richardson, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nehema, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington.

There are several ways to apply, according to FEMA Public Information Officer Thomas Kempton, who oversees portions of the FEMA operation in Platte County.

People can go online and visit disasterassistance.gov, download the FEMA app on their smartphones or call 1-800-621-3362 anytime from 7 a.m. -- 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Typically, Kempton said, people qualifying for aid receive in the ballpark of $4,000-$5,000.

In addition to access to FEMA representatives, those attending all open DRCs will be able to pick the brains of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff. The federal organization offers low-interest loans to businesses of all sizes, most private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters.

×

Continue reading

your article

with a digital subscription.

Already a subscriber? Log in or Activate your account.

Loading&hellp;

*

Digital Basic

for the low price of

$

5

per month

{{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} per month

*

Cancel anytime

Unlimited articles on columbustelegram.com with no surveys

FREE Access to Newspapers.com archives (last 2 years)

*

More

Close

Sign up

*

Digital Plus

starting at

$

9.99

for first 13 weeks

$3 for first 13 weeks

*

FINAL CALL! Join for $3

Cancel anytime

Unlimited access to standard E-Edition

Unlimited articles on columbustelegram.com with no surveys

FREE Access to Newspapers.com archives (last 2 years)

*

More

Close

Sign up

*

{{title}}

{{start_at_rate}}

{{format_dollars}}

{{start_price}}

{{format_cents}}

{{term}}

{{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}

* {{html}}

*

More

Close

Sign up

Thanks for being a subscriber.

Sorry, your subscription does not include this content.

Please call 877-680-6397 to upgrade your subscription.

Thanks for reading.

Subscribe or log in to continue.

$3 for first 13 weeks

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible for up to $2 million in loans, homeowners $200,000 and $40,000 loans for homeowners and renters needing to cover personal property loss.

"And the loan payment is much lower than usual," Said Elizabeth Vargas, an SBA representative working Platte, Colfax, Nance and Madison counties.

Vargas lives in Houston, so she's no stranger in dealing with flood-ravaged terrain.

"I spent five months working Hurricane Harvey," she said.

She noted that people have the preconceived notion that the SBA only works with businesses, but in disaster situations, it opens up loan services for homeowners and renters, too.

Vargas said that the first thing flood-affected individuals should do is apply for Individual Assistance through FEMA and that then FEMA reps will talk them through how to apply for an SBA loan. Those not accepted through the SBA will then be referred back to FEMA to see if any other assistance is available.

The process of seeing what is covered through personal insurance, FEMA and the SBA can all be completed simultaneously, so Vargas encourages affected residents to get a jump on the process if they haven't already.

The organization as of Friday approved $15,169,300 in low-interest disaster loans for state residents and businesses.

The nice thing about the process, she said, is that the application comes with no monetary strings attached. Even if a person or business is approved for a loan, they don't have to accept and it won't affect the lining of their pockets.

"You fill out your application, and they don't have to take the loan, there are no fees," Vargas said. "If they don't want the loan after they have been approved, or if they want less money, we work with them. They will have six months to decide whether they want to take the loan. There are no closet fees -- nothing.

"So it's a win-win situation. They have the resources available and if they don't need them or want them, it's fine with us. But at least they know they have the resources available."

To apply using SBA's online secure website, those interested are encouraged to visit www.disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. The application can also be completed at any open DRC. For additional information, those interested are encouraged to call 1-800-659-2955 to speak with an SBA representative.

The filing deadline is May 20.

Sam Pimper is the news editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at [email protected].

Subscribe to Daily Headlines

https://columbustelegram.com/newsletters/thank-you/#tracking-source=block&ir=true

715

Sign up!

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

___

(c)2019 the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.)

Visit the Columbus Telegram (Columbus, Neb.) at www.columbustelegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.