PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Three months after President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for the state of Alabama following the Jan. 12 severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes, more than $16.6 million in federal assistance has been approved by FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the disaster recovery in Alabama.
Individual Assistance
As of April 14, FEMA has approved more than $7.7 million in grants to survivors in Autauga, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Greene, Hale, Morgan, Mobile, Sumter and Tallapoosa counties under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. These grants help pay for uninsured and underinsured losses and storm-related damage to eligible homeowners and renters in the 10 Individual Assistance designated counties. These grants include:
- More than $6.2 million in FEMA housing grants to help pay for home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing.
- More than $1.3 million in rental assistance.
- More than $1.5 million in Other Needs Assistance grants to help pay for personal property replacement and other serious storm-related needs-such as moving and storage fees, transportation, childcare and medical and dental expenses.
FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams canvassed the 10 Individual Assistance designated counties to help survivors apply for assistance and identify immediate and emerging needs. Teams visited more than 11,000 homes and made 2,500 referrals to other local, state and voluntary agencies for additional support.
The state and FEMA staffed and operated 11 Disaster Recovery Centers in nine counties that provided one-on-one assistance to survivors. While operational the centers had more than 2,300 visits by survivors.
SBA
The SBA has approved more than $8.9 million in long-term, low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations to repair, rebuild or replace disaster-damaged physical property and to cover economic injury from the Jan. 12 storms and tornadoes.
Public Assistance
FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program provides supplemental Federal grant to State, local, Territorial, or Tribal, and local (SLTT) governments, and certain types of private nonprofit (PNP) organizations for eligible disaster-related debris removal, emergency protective measures and restoration of disaster-damaged facilities, such as roads, bridges, public utilities, including water treatment and electrical plants, government buildings and parks.
Eleven Alabama counties have been designated for some form of Public Assistance.
- Greene and Sumter counties have been designated for PA categories A and B: debris removal and emergency protective services.
- Autauga, Barbour, Chambers, Conecuh, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Hale and Tallapoosa have been designated for categories A-G. These categories include debris removal and emergency protective services and the restoration of disaster-damaged facilities.
As of April 14, FEMA has found 29 applicants eligible for Public Assistance and has obligated more than $765,000.
President Biden authorized 100% federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures for 30 days within 120 days of Jan. 12.
Lonn-Term Recovery
Alabama Voluntary Organizations are active in the disaster recovery. The Long-Term Recovery Committees/Groups are made up of concerned community members working to assist individuals and families as they recover from a disaster. Currently, there are active Long-Term Recovery Groups in Autauga/Elmore, Coosa, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Mobile, Morgan and Tallapoosa counties.
Keep in touch with FEMA
While the March 16 deadline for applying for FEMA Individual Assistance has passed, but that does not mean FEMA is leaving. FEMA will continue working with Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) to help survivors and communities in the recovery process.
If you live in one of the 10 Individual Assistance designated counties and applied for help with FEMA due to damage from the Jan. 12 storms, FEMA encourages to you keep in touch.
This way you can track the progress of your case, notify the agency of changes to your mailing or email addresses or phone numbers, and report insurance settlements or additional damage you may have discovered since your home inspection.
Here's how to reach FEMA:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
- Call 800-621-3362. The helpline is open, and help is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week, in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
- Download the FEMA Mobile App
For information on Alabama’s disaster recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4684. Follow FEMA on Twitter at FEMA Region 4 (@femaregion4) / Twitter and at facebook.com/fema.