FEMA officials encourage anyone displaced or directly impacted by the November 17th tornadoes to register for disaster relief.
FEMA offers grants of up to $34,200 toward home replacement. It’s designed to support the uninsured and supplement the underinsured. Public information officer Deanna Frazier says the disaster relief grant may not cover all home replacement costs. But, she says registering for the FEMA disaster aid triggers additional assistance options:
Frazier: “That’s where the Small Business Administration comes in. They can come in and give low interest home loans to individuals who’ve been affected by the storm and hopefully that will get them back to where they were the day before the storm.”
Frazier says three additional programs may also become part of the FEMA disaster recovery effort. She says those programs are the reason everyone impacted by the tornadoes should register.
People can register with FEMA three ways:
Call: 1-800-621-FEMA
Website: www.disasterassistance.gov
or smartphone app: M.FEMA.gov
The State of Illinois is also setting up three disaster recovery centers. The centers are intended to help those impacted by the tornadoes have a place to get answers to questions and evaluate options. Tazewell County is expected to have one of the three Illinois Disaster Recovery Centers.
15 Illinois counties were impacted by the two dozen tornadoes that tore through state November 17, 2013.