ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – The Federal Emergency Management Agency and its partners have provided more than $1 billion to households, businesses, territorial agencies and flood insurance policyholders to help them recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
As of March 19, the funding includes:
- $74.8 million in Individual Assistance for individuals and households, including rental assistance, repair costs and other eligible disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
- $447.9 million in Public Assistance funding to reimburse territorial agencies for debris removal, power restoration, emergency protective measures and other eligible costs.
- $477 million in U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses.
- $9.7 million in National Flood Insurance Program claims payments to policyholders.
“With our partners, we continue to support hurricane survivors and the territory as they recover from the storms,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel. “We will be on the job as long as it takes.”
In addition, FEMA has approved $2.5 million for crisis counseling, $2.7 million for disaster unemployment assistance, $761,108 for emergency prescription assistance and $11.5 million for disaster case management to help survivors manage their recovery process.
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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 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service)
(TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after a disaster.
Following major disasters, the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the primary source of Federal funds for long-term recovery assistance. This assistance is in the form of low-interest loans and is available to non-farm businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, as well as homeowners and renters with property damaged by the disaster.
Follow us on social media at twitter.com/femaregion2 and www.facebook.com/FEMAUSVirginIslands.
To donate or volunteer, contact the voluntary or charitable organization of your choice through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at www.nvoad.org. For those who wish to help, cash donations offer voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands also has the “Fund for the Virgin Islands” at www.USVIrecovery.org.