Shickshinny Residents Urged To Complete Aid Paperwork [The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

<p><chron>Oct. 05</chron>--<location value="LU/us.pa.shinny" idsrc="xmltag.org">SHICKSHINNY</location> -- <person>Mark Arrowsmith</person> was the guy nobody wanted to hear from.</p><p>At least, that was how the <org value="ACORN:3964101430" idsrc="xmltag.org">Small Business Administration</org> spokesman was introduced to a standing-room-only crowd of flood victims Tuesday night at the <org>Shickshinny Fire Company</org> Hall.</p><p>The borough -- which was one of the worst victims of the record flood in early September -- called the meeting to go over aid options for residents. Representatives from the federal and state emergency management agencies, <org>FEMA's</org> National Flood Insurance Program, and Arrowsmith discussed what options were available and how to apply.</p><p>Arrowsmith was there to explain Disaster Relief Loans, which can carry an interest rate as low as 2.5 percent for individual households and 4 percent for businesses.</p><p>"I know," Arrowsmith said, "nobody wants to come out of this with some kind of payment."</p><p>The loan application, though, is the first step in securing other types of funding for individuals such as <org>FEMA</org> grants, he said.</p><p>"The (<org value="ACORN:3964101430" idsrc="xmltag.org">Small Business Administration</org>) application becomes part of the screening process for other money," Arrowsmith said. "If your loan application isn't accepted by the <org value="ACORN:3964101430" idsrc="xmltag.org">Small Business Administration</org>, <org>FEMA</org> may be able to help."</p><p>The administration has sent out more than 21,000 applications and residents have returned roughly 2,500 he said. The deadline to apply is <chron>Nov. 14</chron>.</p><p><person>Dave Grecco</person>, a spokesman for <org>FEMA</org>, also stressed filling out the loan paperwork.</p><p>"If you don't fill that out and send it back in," Grecco said, "then you are stopping your application. It is critical you fill out those packets."</p><p>For those who don't qualify for a disaster relief loan, Grecco said they might be eligible for up to <money>$30,200</money> in assistance from <org>FEMA</org>.</p><p>"That's the most we can give you by law," he said.</p><p>That money could be in the form of housing assistance or to help pay for transportation and replacing personal property, he said.</p><p>With the tight rental market, <org>FEMA</org> also plans to provide mobile homes in disaster areas, including <location value="LU/us.pa.luzrne" idsrc="xmltag.org">Luzerne County</location>.</p><p>"We've made 700 calls in <location value="LU/us.pa.luzrne" idsrc="xmltag.org">Luzerne County</location>," Grecco said. He said 10 people have already been approved to receive a trailer.</p><p>While most of the speakers were there to address immediate needs, PEMA's <person>Tom Hughes</person> discussed the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, also known as buyouts.</p><p>The program, he said, will start to go into effect when the federal government approves adding public assistance to the disaster declaration to help pay for damage to roads, bridges and other public properties. An field representative for Sen. <person>Lisa Baker's</person> office, <person>Thomas Yoniski</person>, said they were anticipating that to move forward sometime this week.</p><p>In that program, <org>FEMA</org> and the state provide municipalities money to purchase continually damaged homes if they meet certain criteria.</p><p><org>Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority</org> Director <person>Jim Brozena</person> said more than 20 properties in <location value="LU/us.pa.shinny" idsrc="xmltag.org">Shickshinny</location> were already a part of the program from a previous disaster.</p><p><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>, 570-763-9704 @CVPatSweet</p><p class="shirttail">___</p><p class="shirttail">(c)2011 The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)</p><p class="shirttail">Visit The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) at citizensvoice.com</p><p class="shirttail">Distributed by MCT Information Services</p>