Homeowners hit by June 25 and 26 flooding can apply for additional federal funds to protect their properties from future damages.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s earlier this year opened up disaster assistance through its Individuals and Households Program for homeowners in Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Wayne affected by the summer downpour.
That program has expanded to include dollars for what the agency calls “mitigation measures”. These measures could be: repair to a roof to withstand higher winds and to prevent water infiltration, elevating a water heater or furnace; and moving or raising an electrical panel.
The funds are available for owner-occupied and primary residences impacted by the June 25 and 26 flooding, and for items in the home that were functioning before the flooding but were then damaged.
FEMA has approved more than $10.4 million for 35,530 applicants in metro Detroit who applied for help to cover flood damage under the program as of Oct. 19, according to the agency.
Homeowners must first apply for FEMA’s disaster assistance. They will then be notified if they qualify and if that help includes dollars for home-mitigation measures of up to $37,500, according to FEMA.
The deadline to apply for FEMA’s disaster assistance is Nov. 12.
The Free Press in July reported that hundreds of metro Detroit flood victims at the time were already met with denials. FEMA officials said then that an initial “ineligible” letter doesn’t mean residents won’t get help, and urged applicants to appeal, with the help of staff at local FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers.
People can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use a TTY call 800-462-7585.
They can also visit a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Wayne or Macomb county. To find a location, go to https://bit.ly/drclocator, or text DRC and a zip code to 43362.
For more information about the FEMA assistance, go to http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4607.
Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.
Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR. Sign up for BridgeDetroit’s newsletter. Become a Free Press subscriber.