Joint Information Center
Wichita, Kansas
Disaster News
August 10, 2007
KS-1711-07-034
Media Contacts:
FEMA: News Desk 316-524-1006
KDEM: Sharon Watson 785-274-1192
SBA: Kevin Wynne 916-847-2638
DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR JUNE STORMS TOPS $29 MILLION
WICHITA, Kan. – More than $29 million ($29,385,335) in assistance has been approved to date by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) as they continue to assist the state of Kansas and the Kansas Division of Emergency
Management (KDEM) in the recovery from the severe storms and flooding June 26-July 25.
Disaster recovery efforts through August 9 include:

3,725 individuals and households from 23 designated counties have applied for assistance as a
result of President Bush’s July 2 declaration of a major disaster. Sept. 4 is the last day
individuals can apply for FEMA assistance under the July 2 declaration.

More than $13 million ($13,254,265) in Housing Assistance has been approved to cover rental
assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs.

More than $3 million ($3,244,770 in Other Needs Assistance (ONA) has been approved to
cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not
covered by insurance.

6,285 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the region have been made by people
affected by the disaster who have met with recovery experts there.

2,920 home inspections have been conducted.

207 public entities (counties, cities, certain private non-profit agencies) have applied for federal
assistance. These requests currently are being evaluated and additional requests are being
received. Qualifying jurisdictions can be partially reimbursed for eligible emergency protective
measures, debris removal, and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities and
infrastructure.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved nearly $13 million ($12,886,300)
in low-interest disaster loans to Kansas residents and businesses. The SBA provides lowinterest loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes.
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Page 2 – Disaster Assistance Tops $29 million
SBA representatives at all the Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to meet individually with each
applicant to provide assistance in completing their disaster loan application, answer any questions
about SBA’s disaster loan program, and accept completed disaster loan applications. Anyone not able
to visit a center should call 1-800-659-2955 for SBA assistance or visit the Web site at
www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
Under the July 2 declaration and subsequent amendments, FEMA Public Assistance grants are
authorized to assist state and local government agencies and certain private nonprofit organizations
with the response to and recovery from the disaster in 21 counties: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler,
Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harper, Labette, Linn,
Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Wilson, and Woodson. For more information, governmental
and private, non-profit organizations in these counties should contact their local emergency
management officials.
Residents in the 23 counties eligible for Individual Assistance under the July 2 declaration and
subsequent amendments who suffered damage from the storms and flooding of June 26-July 25
should call and register for assistance no later than Sept. 4.
The 23 counties now eligible for Individual Assistance are Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler,
Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Edwards, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harper,
Labette, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Pawnee, Wilson, and Woodson.
Eligible residents can call the toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800462-7585. Operators are available Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., CDT, or
register online at www.fema.gov.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of,
responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of
terror.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age,
disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you
should call FEMA toll-free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal Rights. If you are
suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the Fraud hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged
private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations
fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.
These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies
or organizations.
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Editors: for more information on the Kansas disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.ks.gov/ksadjutantgeneral/
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