Will County residents and business owners who sustained property damage from the storms that rolled through the area between July 13 and July 16 can now apply for federal assistance.
FEMA assistance available after July storms, tornadoes hit area
President Joe Biden signed a federal major disaster declaration for that weather event, opening up the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance program for impacted areas, including Will County in that list. Seven tornadoes were recorded within Will County during that time period. One of those, categorized as an EF-1, started in Yorkville and traveled east into south Naperville on July 15.
“The July storms caused significant property damage throughout Will County,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant in a news release. “This disaster declaration creates an opportunity for residents, business, and non-profits to apply for financial assistance. I would like to thank both Governor Pritzker for requesting a federal Major Disaster Declaration and President Biden for ensuring that the federal government can support recovery efforts.”
Help with repairs, housing, and uninsured losses
Help through the program includes grants for home repairs or temporary housing and low-cost loans to help alleviate the costs of any repairs or losses not covered by insurance.
There are three ways those affected can apply for assistance: call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, use the FEMA app, or fill out an online application on the Disaster Assistance website.
Disaster recovery centers are slated to open soon in Will County, as well as within the six other counties covered in the disaster proclamation: Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington, and Winnebago. FEMA representatives will be on hand at the centers to help with the disaster application process.
Updates on the three centers planned to open in Will County can be found on the Will County website.
U.S. Small Business Administration offering low-interest disaster loans
Additional help is available through the U.S. Small Business Administration, officials said.
Low-interest disaster loans of up to $2 million are available for businesses and nonprofits to help repair damages incurred due to the weather event. Disaster loans of up to $500,000 are available to homeowners for the repair or replacement of real estate damaged or destroyed during the storms.
There’s also an option for homeowners and renters to get a loan of up to $100,000 for the fix or replacement of any property damaged during the July 13 to 16 storms.
Applications for that assistance can be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website.
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