Update On FEMA Disaster Assistance Programs In Weston

Press release from the Town of Weston:

09/25/2024 3:50 PM

FEMA has declared a major disaster in Connecticut and Fairfield County due to the extreme flooding on August 18th and 19th, 2024, as authorized by President Biden. Per FEMA's announcement: "Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster."

There are presently two separate federal opportunities for assistance: directly through FEMA Disaster Assistance or through the Small Business Administration (SBA). You can apply for both.

Individuals and Businesses

FEMA Disaster Assistance: Residents and businesses can apply for assistance through the below phone number, online website or FEMA mobile app. We encourage residents seeking assistance to apply as soon as possible as some programs have deadlines:

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) will soon be set up in the County to provide in-person assistance for residents and businesses in the coming weeks. We will share this information as soon as it becomes available. The Deadline to apply for physical damage is November 19th, 2024.

Additional Business Resources

Physical Damage: In addition to the above, Business Recovery Centers (BRC) will be set up in the Monroe Police Department (see below).

Application for assistance may be done as well online via MySBA Loan Portal. (www.sba.gov) with an application deadline of November 19, 2024.

Economic Damage: In the years following rebuilding from natural disasters, FEMA sees a recurring phenomenon wherein the small businesses in the impacted areas (“zones of economic impact”) take a financial hit causing sometimes cascading negative effects on the local economies. In an effort to support local business owners during these times, the SBA has a program to provide funds in the form of low-interest and long-term loans to carry them during the rebuild period via the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) Program. Business owners may apply in-person at any Disaster Recovery (DRCs) or Business Recovery Center (BRC). Businesses may apply in person or online via MySBA Loan Portal (www.sba.gov). for economic damages through June 20th, 2025

A Fact Sheet is attached for additional information on these programs.

Business Recover Center (BRC) - Fairfield County
Monroe Police Department
7 Fan Hill Road
Monroe, CT 06468

Opening: Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday

Please contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or by phone at 1-800-659-2955 for further assistance.

For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Any other questions, please contact our Emergency Management Director, Sergeant Joseph Miceli at jmiceli@westonpolice.com

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Please click on the following for more information:

• SBA News Release: SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Businesses and Residents of Connecticut Affected by August Storms
• SBA News Release: SBA Opens Two Business Recovery Centers in CT
• SBA Fact Sheet - Disaster Loans
• SBA CT Disaster Page
• Disasterassistance.gov
• MySBA Loan Portal. (www.sba.gov)
• FEMA mobile app https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products

This press release was produced by the Town of Weston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.