Federal officials have opened disaster-recovery centers in Mayflower and North Little Rock to offer assistance to people and businesses in the counties included in the state's federal disaster declaration for flooding on the Arkansas River.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration have opened the centers, and other organizations were on hand Sunday to explain available assistance programs and help connect people with resources that best match their recovery needs.
"We are going to be on hand as long as we are needed," said Yolanda O. Stokes, spokesman for the Small Business Administration.
Heavy rainfall in Kansas and Oklahoma led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water from reservoirs in both states that eventually made its way down the Arkansas River, leading to severe flooding throughout the Arkansas River Valley. Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded as the water worked its way from western Arkansas through central Arkansas and into the southeast part of the state.
On June 8, President Donald Trump approved Gov. Asa Hutchinson's request for more federal aid to meet the housing and business needs across Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Jefferson, Perry, Pulaski, Sebastian and Yell counties.
A FEMA spokesman said the agency already had staff members in position in Arkansas before the emergency declaration and that Disaster Survivor Assistance teams have been going door to door in affected areas to answer questions about the types of help available, to help people apply for state and federal assistance, to update applicants' contact information and to help with referrals to community partners.
"Before registering with FEMA, we recommended people talk to their insurance agent," said Earl Armstrong, a spokesman with FEMA.
Angel Figueroa, a FEMA agent who was working at the center in North Little Rock, said the most common thing the agency deals with is insurance questions.
"We have to wait for insurance to deny or accept their claim before we can move forward," he said. "How long it will take varies because we handle it by a case-by-case basis."
FEMA may also refer people to the Small Business Administration, which offers federal low-interest disaster loans to flood victims.
"Because the loans we might provide might not be as much as they hope," Armstrong said. "For example, we provided $6,000 for Hurricane Harvey, and home repairs could cost $25,000 with only a little bit of water."
Businesses of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace property damaged in a disaster, but the Small Business Administration also can provide loans for lost revenue, Stokes said.
"For example, the flooding could have caused business to lose sales and lay off employees," Stokes said. "We can provide them with working capital."
The Small Business Administration can also offer loans to homeowners and renters, Stokes said.
"Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace their primary residence," Stokes said. "They can also borrow up to $40,000 to replace personal property, including vehicles."
Stokes said there in no obligation to take the loan.
The disaster-recovery centers opened today are:
FAULKNER COUNTY
Tornado Shelter, 4 Grove Circle, Mayflower (behind First Security Bank).
PULASKI COUNTY
North Little Rock Community Center, 2700 Willow St.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Officials said that before visiting a center, homeowners, renters and businesses should register for disaster assistance by going to DisasterAssistance.gov or, for Spanish-speaking people, DisasterAssistance.gov/es; by using the FEMA mobile app; or by calling either (800) 621-3362 or (800) 462-7585(TTY). To schedule an American Sign Language interpreter, people can call or text (717) 395-1379.
State Desk on 06/24/2019