The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center opened in Henry County at the Henry County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Regional Training Center. Henry County OEM is located at 4424 Walter Payton Memorial Highway, south of Kewanee on Highway 34/78. You can apply for FEMA assistance and a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan in person at the Disaster Recovery Center seven days a week from 8 AM to 7 PM. The center will be active in Henry County through November 19th. There are also disaster survivor assistance teams going door-to-door in Kewanee, and they can also help you apply for assistance. FEMA aid isn’t just for property damage, you can apply for aid if you lost food or medications while you were without power. Aid is limited by FEMA, so the Small Business Administration provides low-interest loans to cover the gap between insurance and FEMA aid for business and residential properties. The low-interest loans can be spread out over years to allow lower payments, and you don’t make the first payment for 12 months. Public Information Officer Leyla Gulen said there is no harm or cost to applying for FEMA aid and a SBA loan; you have the option to not take the loan if you are approved. It is important to apply for FEMA aid before the November 19th deadline in case you find damage at a later date.
“DSA teams will never ask for or accept money and will always be wearing a FEMA identification badge with a photograph. A FEMA shirt, vest or jacket is not proof of identity. While helping someone apply, they will ask for personal information, including social security number, annual income, and bank information. Residents are encouraged to ask for identification before providing any personal information. They can also call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to verify a FEMA visit is legitimate.”
To apply without visiting a center, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA mobile app, or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as video relay telephone service, or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply.
For even more information about the disaster recovery operation in Illinois, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4819. If your farm sustained damage in the July storms, the local Farm Bureau and the USDA may be able to help with disaster assistance. Find more information here.
The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center was set up on October 1st at the Henry County OEM Center, which is former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday. President Carter established the Federal Emergency Management Administration on April 1, 1979. Since President Carter established FEMA and the center was set up on his birthday, they have nicknamed the Henry County FEMA Disaster Recovery Center “The Peanut” in honor of President Carter. President Carter spent his 100th birthday with family and friends in his backyard in Plains, Georgia, where they watched a military plane flyover.