March 11 is the final day. Disaster officials are urging residents of disaster-designated counties and parishes in the Gulf Coast states to take advantage of the 60 additional days they've been given to register for federal and state financial assistance to help them recover from uninsured or under-insured losses caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The extension to March 11 was granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"As long we continue to hear from people who need disaster assistance, we want to make it available," said R. David Paulison, acting FEMA director. "We are renewing our efforts to identify and reach people who may not have registered for various reasons and need more time to apply." [Full Story]
http://www.ccfj.net/OmbFEMA.html
FEMA changes policy,
allows condo boards to seek hurricane aid
Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel
By Joe Kollin
Published January 4, 2006
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is taking applications from condo associations needing financial assistance to repair roofs and other commonly owned property destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Wilma, reversing an earlier refusal to offer such aid.
But the application deadline is midnight Thursday night--the same time that everyone, even those not in condos, must apply -- warned Florida Condo Ombudsman Virgil Rizzo. He urged condo boards to move quickly.
Individual condo owners with uninsured damage to the interior property, such as furniture, should also apply, even if they don't want a loan.
"Just because you apply doesn't mean you have to take the loan, but if you don't apply you may not be eligible for any government money," Homstad said.
Inundated with complaints that condo owners couldn't get help to replace and repair roofs and walls, Rizzo two weeks ago met with FEMA, state and county officials in Fort Lauderdale to find out the reason.
"People from all over were coming to me because they couldn't get help just because they lived in a condo, and that to me was outrageous," said Rizzo.
He was especially concerned with retirement communities, such as the 8,000-apartment Sunrise Lakes complex in Sunrise, where many buildings were uninhabitable and associations couldn't get money to rebuild.
It turned out that associations couldn't get assistance because they technically are corporations and FEMA has a rule against assisting corporations.
"It didn't matter that the unit owners owned the corporations, which aren't for profit," Rizzo said. "FEMA just saw them as corporations that they couldn't aid. I explained that in order to help the people they must help the corporations."
He said FEMA then understood.
"They were willing to give people money for their individual roofs but not a condo association," he said. "You can't have 30 or 60 individual owners in a condo building repairing their roof. One roof covers the entire building"
He also took FEMA representatives to see condo buildings damaged so extensively that local authorities weren't letting owners live in them, yet owners couldn't get federal aid for repairs.
Unit owners in condemned buildings especially should benefit from FEMA's decision to aid associations, said state Rep. Franklin Sands, D-Weston, whose district includes Sunrise Lakes.
"People have been paying what amounts to double rent -- the cost of maintaining their condo while paying for another place to live," he said. "This will help offset some of that."
DEADLINE FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE
WHAT: Thursday is the deadline to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA if your property was damaged during Hurricane Wilma.
TYPE OF AID: Rental assistance, repair grants, small business loans, housing placement.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE: People who do not have insurance or whose losses are not completely covered by private insurance. Insurance deductibles are not covered.
IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE: Individuals and business owners who are ineligible for a FEMA grant may apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration loan to cover disaster-related losses. The deadline is also Thursday.
HOW TO APPLY: To apply for a FEMA grant or SBA loan, visit http://www.fema.gov/
or call 800-621-3362.
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Although this article does not specifically address the OVER $75,000.00 that FCCA has paid for TRASH REMOVAL which was not covered by insurance, the article says that ANY UNINSURED OR UNDER-INSURED CLAIMS can be filed for using this process. So far, Chet Hingle has told people that he tried to file for this relief and FCCA was not eligible yet I keep finding these news articles that clearly state that FCCA is eligible. Is "Chet's Board" going to miss the March 11 Deadline... which will possibly cost FCC owners thousands of dollars?????
Until next time.... let "The Fountain Of Information" flow!!!!!
Lenny Vasbinder, Editor
TheFountainOfInformation@Gmail.com
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***THANKS to everybody who came to New Orleans for Mardi Gras!!!! And THANKS to everybody who did anything to help New Orleans and any other Hurricane Katrina victims.
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