FEMA: Flooded home repair help available in River Valley

Jul. 5--Local flood survivors who are rebuilding or repairing their homes after the flooding and severe storms that occurred May 21 to June 14 can get a free hazard mitigation consultation from FEMA representatives this week by visiting a local home improvement store.

Mitigation advisers will be on hand at Yeager Ace Hardware in Van Buren, 1610 Main St., to answer questions about rebuilding and protecting homes from future disaster-related damage. Topics will include flood insurance and elevating utilities. Most of the information is geared toward do-it-yourself work and general contractors.

FEMA mitigation specialists will be available at the Van Buren Yeager Ace Hardware 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Sunday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.

The registration deadline for FEMA support from recent flooding in the Arkansas River Valley is Aug. 7.

SBA update

Javier Caltenco, public information officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration , said Wedneday that as of July 1 there have been 52 home loans valued at $3.9 million in Arkansas after the 2019 flooding. In Oklahoma, as of July 3, the SBA has secured $15.8 million for 221 home loans and secured $700,000 for six economic injury business loans.

The SBA is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. For information, applicants may contact SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955. TTY users may also call (800) 877-8339. Applicants may also visit [email protected] or visit SBA at www.SBA.gov/disaster.

For Arkansas disaster mitigation information, visit www.fema.gov/armit. For additional information about mitigation, visit www.fema.gov/mitigation. For information on protecting properties from disaster, visit http://www.fema.gov/protect-your-property.

Survivors can register for FEMA assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362 or (TTY) (800) 462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services can call (800) 621-3362. These toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week.

FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. Follow them Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

For mitigation information and regularly updated disaster information go to: http://www.fema.gov/armit -- http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4441.

Help for farmers

If you are a farmer or rancher in Arkansas who has been impacted by flooding from May 21 to June 14, contact your local USDA Service Center to see what programs are available in your area and the eligibility criteria for applying. Use the USDA Service Center Locator at https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app to find one near you.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management is the state's homeland security and preparedness agency. The agency works to identify and lessen the effects of emergencies, disasters and threats to Arkansas by developing effective prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery actions for all disasters and emergencies. For information, call ADEM at (501) 683-6700 or visit the website at www.adem.arkansas.gov.

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