Spent an hour at the FEMA offices at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. Spoke to FEMA representatives and representatives of the US Small Business Administration. There were NO LINES. Very few people seeking help. That’s unfortunate. FEMA and other agencies are at the County Center every day of the week till 8 PM. If you had an outage and want reimbursement for some of your losses you should register with FEMA and the Small Business Administration.
The motto: SNOOZE, YOU LOSE.
You should register IMMEDIATELY. It’s possible that in the coming weeks or months that the federal government could offer residents/businesses more benefits. If you are not on their registration list you can’t be contacted and advised of the additional grants/loans.. If you register now and the fed’s increase the benefits, you will be entitled to more money.
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
You don’t have to go to the County Center to register. You can apply by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
It’s a very quick process. For more info visit www.DisasterAssitance.gov.
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One constituent said she just received a $31k determination from FEMA.
However, the $31k is reduced by whatever amount she will recover from her homeowners claim, so if her homeowners pays $6k then she will receive $25k from FEMA. This amount is a grant, not a loan. This will cover:
- Contents (furniture, personal effects, appliances, etc)
- Repairs (flooring, furnace, drywall, siding, garbage removal, etc)
Also available from FEMA:
- Free hotel stays at FEMA participating hotels, if displaced from your home and it is uninhabitable
- Housing reimbursement if you had to rent a house or stay at a non-participating hotel because your home is uninhabitable
- Low interest 30-year loans (1.6% I think) to rebuild and repair
The process is not bad, and she will receive her payment via direct deposit in 7-10 days from when her homeowners adjuster reports the homeowners payout to FEMA. Have to register online and a FEMA inspector will come to your house to assess the damage.
I have invited FEMA to set up temporary offices at Greenburgh Town Hall.
_ Paul Feiner
