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Victims of Hurricane Katrina Can Find Help at GovBenefits.gov

Since Hurricane Katrina has descended on the Gulf Coast, http://www.govbenefits.gov/ wants to let victims and disaster relief workers know about the many disaster relief programs available. Perhaps you have suffered damage to a home or business, lost your job, or experienced crop damage due to a natural disaster. GovBenefits.gov has a variety of national benefit and assistance programs geared toward disaster recovery, such as:

Disaster and Housing Program
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=430
The Disaster Housing Program provides housing assistance in the form of a grant to individuals whose homes sustained damage as a result of a Presidentially declared disaster. To qualify for assistance, the damaged home must be your primary residence, and be located in the disaster-declared area.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=597
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program provides unemployment benefits to individuals who have become unemployed as a result of a Presidentially declared major disaster.

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=352
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides financial assistance to eligible producers affected by natural disasters. This federally funded program covers noninsurable crop losses and planting prevented by disasters.

Physical Disaster Loans
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=1505
Any business that is located in a declared disaster area and has incurred damage during the disaster may apply for a loan to help repair or replace damaged property to its pre-disaster condition. The SBA makes physical disaster loans of up to $1.5 million to qualified businesses.

Farm Emergency Loans
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=346
The emergency loan program aims to help family farmers recover from losses resulting from natural disasters. These loans can be used to:
* repair or replace buildings or other structures
* purchase livestock and equipment
* pay essential farm operating and family living expenses
* refinance debt
* repair or replace essential household contents damaged in the disaster.

Casualties, Disasters, and Theft
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=936
The program offers tax relief for casualty losses that result from the destruction of, or damage to your property from any sudden, unexpected, or unusual event such as a flood, hurricane, tornado, fire, earthquake or even volcanic eruption.

Cora Brown Fund
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=427
The Cora Brown Fund uses funds made possible by a bequest of funds from the late Cora C. Brown of Kansas City, Missouri, who left a portion of her estate to the United States for the purpose of helping victims of natural disasters not caused by or attributed to war.

Disaster Legal Services
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=431
The Disaster Legal Services program provides legal assistance to individuals affected by a major federal disaster.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=1504
If your small business has suffered substantial economic injury, regardless of physical damage, and is located in a declared disaster area, you may be eligible for financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses and small agricultural cooperatives that have suffered substantial economic injury resulting from a physical disaster or an agricultural production disaster designated by the Secretary of Agriculture may be eligible for the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Substantial economic injury is the inability of a business to meet its obligations as they mature and to pay its ordinary and necessary operating expenses. An EIDL can help you meet necessary financial obligations that your business could have met had the disaster not occurred. It provides relief from economic injury caused directly by the disaster and permits you to maintain a reasonable working capital position during the period affected by the disaster.

Home Mortgage Insurance for Disaster Victims
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=505
This program can help individuals purchase a new home or rebuild their house if they are victimized by a major disaster. While HUD does not lend money directly to buyers to rebuild or purchase, FHA-approved lenders make loans through this special insurance program.

Home and Property Disaster Loans
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=1503
If you are in a declared disaster area and are the victim of a disaster, you may be eligible for financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration - even if you don't own a business. As a homeowner, renter and/or personal-property owner, you may apply to the SBA for a loan to help you recover from a disaster.  *Insurance Proceeds:* If you have insurance coverage on your personal property/home, the amount you will receive from the insurance company will be deducted from the total damage to your property in order to determine the amount for which you are eligible to apply to the SBA.

Individual and Family Grants for Disaster Victims
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=436
The Individual and Family Grant Program (IFG) provides money for the necessary expenses of disaster victims, which cannot be met through other forms of disaster assistance, including insurance. Eligibility for this program is determined after the Small Business Administration (SBA) has denied you a disaster loan (either by an income test or loan application). If you are denied an SBA loan, referral to IFG is automatic. Other eligibility considerations include: the affected home must be your primary residence, the home must be located in the disaster-declared area, and you (or an adult household member) must be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien.

Individual and Household Assistance
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=816
The Individual and Household Assistance program provides aid to individuals and households affected by a disaster to enable them to address necessary expenses and serious needs, which cannot be met through other forms of disaster assistance or insurance.

Individual and Household Disaster Housing Operations
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=813
The Individual and Household Disaster Housing Operations program provides assistance to individuals and households affected by a disaster to enable them to address their disaster-related housing needs.

Rural Disaster Housing Assistance
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=390
To assist qualified lower income rural families to meet emergency assistance needs resulting from natural disaster to buy, build, rehabilitate, or improve dwellings in rural areas. Funds are only available to the extent that funds are not provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For the purpose of administering these funds, natural disaster will only include those areas identified by a Presidential declaration. Direct loans may be used for construction, repair, or purchase of housing. Payment subsidy is available to eligible low and very low-income applicants. The term payment subsidy refers to either payment assistance or interest credit. A payment subsidy reduces the borrower's scheduled payment to an amount equal to what it would be if the note were amortized to as low as one percent. Payment subsidies are subject to recapture by the government when the borrower transfers title or ceases to occupy the property. Applicants must be without adequate resources to obtain housing or related facilities. Applicants must be unable to secure the necessary credit from other sources at prevailing terms and conditions for residential financing.

Rural Housing: Natural Disaster Loans and Grants
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits/benefits/report.jhtml?bid=391
To assist very low income owner-occupants to repair or replace damaged property as a direct result of a natural disaster. Loans are made in counties named by the Federal Management Agency (FEMA) as being eligible for federal assistance under an emergency declaration by the President. Applicants must own and occupy the home in a rural area. Loan recipients must have sufficient income to repay the loan. Grant recipients must be 62 years of age or older and be unable to repay a loan for that part of the assistance received as a grant. The applicant's income for a loan may not exceed the very low-income limit which can be obtained in any Rural Development (RD) field office.  Natural disasters will only include those areas identified by a Presidential declaration. Funds are only available to the extent that funds are not provided by FEMA. Applicants must establish that physical damage was caused by natural disaster. For Section 504 loans/grants, there must be evidence of ownership and verification of income and debts. For grant recipients, evidence of age is required. The applicant must be unable to get credit elsewhere and demonstrate repayment for the loan.

Social Security Information
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency/
The Social Security Administration has set up a page which provides detailed information for replacing Social Security checks lost or unable to be delivered due to the hurricane.

"GovBenefits.gov is a collaborative effort of 16 federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Labor, Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration, and the Social Security Administration. Available in both English and Spanish, this free and confidential web site helps individuals easily determine their potential eligibility for more than 1,000 government-funded benefit and assistance programs.
GovBenefits.gov has attracted more than 19 million visitors and generated 4 million citizen referrals to benefit programs tailored to their needs."

[Posted 9/14/05]