SOUTHBURY, Conn. — FEMA reps signaled one last call to action Tuesday for homeowners and renters impacted by the Aug. 18 and storms.
The Disaster Recovery Center at the Southbury Town Hall closed its doors for good at 6 p.m. on the last day for Connecticut residents to apply for disaster assistance.
Those who were unable to make it to the center in Southbury before the 6 p.m. closing time can register online through DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. However, those actions need to be complete by midnight Tuesday.
“The key thing is you must register today. Because if you don’t, then you will be ineligible for assistance,” said Dan McElhinney, disaster recovery officer for FEMA. “We don’t want any of the disaster survivors to not get what they’re authorized to get or what they’re eligible to get.”
Since FEMA set up shop in Southbury, it’s served as a one-stop-shop for anyone impacted by the storms looking for federal assistance.
“At the center here in Southbury, we’ve had over 800 people apply for assistance or came in to get their documentation updated,” McElhinney said.
Across the state, McElhinney said 2,500 people have applied for assistance, getting more than $9.3 million in help. McElhinney said renters and property owners can get a maximum of $42,500 in property loss and an additional $42,500 in damages.
“Don’t worry about if you had insurance or anything like that. Register, we will figure out what you’re eligible for. And you will get that money in the mail so you can put your life back together as much as possible,” McElhinney said.
It’s been a life-saver for people like Lorraine Cavanaugh, who has spent thousands of dollars in repairs to her Southbury home since the lower level was damaged in the storm.
“Every day there’s something else to do, to take care of. You know, many trips to the dump, I donated quite a bit of things. It forced me to go through 27 years of accumulation,” Cavanaugh said.
When Cavanaugh learned of the recovery center opening up in her hometown months ago, she visited the town hall right away. She said the process has been easy and worth it.
“I was a little nervous and then when I came here, it was so easy. And within a week, I got the first check,” Cavanaugh said.
FEMA reps visited Cavanaugh’s home and assessed the damage to see what kind of refund she qualified for. Without their help, she said she was looking at a big hole in her bank account.
“I think probably by the time I’m finished it’ll be about a $50,000 cost. I could have, but, it would have taken all our savings to do it,” Cavanaugh said.
Despite everything, she said she’s grateful for her and her family’s health.
“We were just happy that we weren’t hurt, we weren’t sick. You know, not everybody had the same experience,” Cavanaugh said.
After the center in Southbury closes, people can still view the status of their application online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by downloading and using FEMA’s Mobile App.
Individuals may also call the FEMA Helpline to discuss their case with a representative. Phone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week.
The Business Recovery Center located in Oxford is also closing Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The center remained open for months for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the devastating august storms. In October, it was announced that funds through the disaster loan program ran out. However, the business recovery center promises to help new applicants, hoping money will become available.
Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for information on SBA disaster assistance.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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