INDIANAPOLIS, IN – As Hoosiers repair or rebuild their homes damaged by the flooding and severe storms that occurred Feb. 14-March 4, 2018, FEMA and Lowe’s Home Improvement store in South Bend have teamed up to provide information, tips and literature on making homes stronger and safer.
Federal Emergency Management Agency mitigation specialists will be on hand beginning Thursday, July 12, to answer questions and offer home improvement tips along with proven methods to prevent or reduce damage from future disasters as well as offer tips and techniques to build hazard-resistant homes. Most of the information and the free publications provided are geared for do-it-yourself work and general contractors. Recovery topics to be covered include flood insurance, elevating utilities and rebuilding flooded homes.
FEMA advisors will be available during the following days and hours:
Thursday, July 12 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, July 13 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 14 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 15 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday, July 16 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 17 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They will be at the following location:
Lowe’s Home Improvement
250 W. Ireland Road
South Bend, IN 46614
Free reference booklets with information on protecting a home from flood damage will be available. More information about strengthening property can be found at www.fema.gov/what-mitigation. You can also learn more about flood insurance at www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program.
For more information on Indiana’s recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4363 or the @FEMARegion5 Twitter account.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after a disaster.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955 (Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339), emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at sba.gov/disaster.
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