FEMA: Pa. to Receive $349M in Disaster Relief

Help is on the way to Pennsylvanians whose lives were disrupted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

According to officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PMA) nearly $349 million in disaster aid to individuals has been approved.

The total, $884 million in disaster relief funds, as of Dec. 1 includes:

• $131 million in individual assistance grants
• $120 million in housing assistance including temporary housing, home repairs, and personal property losses
• $11 million in dental, medical, and funeral costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
• $76 million in low-interest disaster loans approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• $142 million in insurance claims settled by National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
• $398,000 in disaster unemployment assistance

“These funds are so important for the revival of our communities,” says Commonwealth Coordinating Officer John Forr. “Very few areas of Pennsylvania escaped the terrible effects of the storms, but the grants to families and businesses and the insurance settlements will go a long way toward our overall recovery.”

Updated figures, released by FEMA on Dec. 2, reveal that almost 93,000 people have sought help in repairing damage caused by the recent storms.