DISASTER RECOVERY OPERATIONS LAUNCHED

Indiana is now eligible for federal assistance

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials on Monday initiated disaster recovery operations following the declaration by President Donald Trump that Indiana is now eligible for federal assistance due to historic flooding Feb. 14-March 4.

The Major Disaster Declaration identifies nine counties for Individual Assistance and 27 counties for Public Assistance. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
 
Disaster Resource Centers will be available in northern Indiana counties hit hard by flooding as well as those impacted counties in the southern portion of the state. Once established, those locations can be found in the DRC Locator Tool.

“FEMA and IDHS have dispatched teams to explore all the affected counties in the declaration and begin moving residents in those areas toward recovery,” Rowe said. “Additional counties may be added to the order, but our focus for now will be getting Hoosiers the help they need to begin rebuilding and repairing what they lost during this Indiana disaster.”

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (EDT) seven days a week until further notice.

FEMA employees will be assigned to Indiana in the coming days, allowing local, state and federal officials to work closely together. These resources will help to identify individuals and government agencies that fall under the declaration parameters for assistance. The Small Business Association (SBA) also has dispatched a team to Indiana to help business owners recover.

Counties that qualify for Individual Assistance include: Carroll, Clark, Elkhart, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Marshall and St. Joseph.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to the State and to eligible tribal and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Benton, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Elkhart, Floyd, Fulton, Gibson, Harrison, Jasper, Jefferson, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Ohio, Perry, Porter, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Wabash, Warren, Warrick and White.