*As of 8/7/19. Please note these are official resources and there are many other non-profits who are assisting.

FEMA DISASTER UPDATE

SBA: 

• Even though the deadline to apply for a loan for property damage has passed, small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size still have until Dec. 23, 2019, to apply for an economic injury disaster loan to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.
• Interest rates are 4 percent for businesses and 2.75 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
• Approved loans for over $41.4 million. This includes $34.6 million for homeowners and renters and $6.8 million for businesses and private non-profits.

Community Engagement and Outreach:

• All disaster recovery centers are closed as of July 18 

National Flood Insurance Program: 

• Nebraska paid over $35.7 million to policy holders.
• The average FEMA disaster grant was about $5,000 per household
• The average flood insurance claim is $30,000

FEMA Public Assistance Program: 

• 493 Requests for public assistance 
• 412 eligible applicants

The Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Nebraska (FEMA-4420-DR-NE) has been amended; to include Boone, Buffalo, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Custer, Dodge, Douglas, Knox, Nemaha, Richardson, Sarpy, and Washington Counties for Public Assistance [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program). Adams, Antelope, Blaine, Box Butte, Boyd, Burt, Cedar, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Fillmore, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Logan, Loup, Madison, Morrill, Nance, Otoe, Pawnee, Pierce, Platte, Saline, Sherman, Valley, Wayne, and Wheeler Counties for Public Assistance [Categories C-G] (already designated for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct federal assistance, under the Public assistance program.

Disaster Recovery Centers:

·       Sarpy County: 3802 Raynor Parkway, Suite 201, Bellevue, NE 68123. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

·       Douglas County: 111 East Front St., Valley, NE 68064. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Individuals & Households Program (IHP)

Federal funding is available to eligible individuals in Boone, Buffalo, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Custer, Dodge, Douglas, Knox, Nemaha, Richardson, Sarpy, Saunders, Thurston and Washington counties and the Santee Sioux Nation. Additional counties may be designated as damage assessments are completed.

As of April 5:

·       3,838 applicants in designated counties have applied for FEMA IndividualAssistance.

·       FEMA has approved $12,427,992 for Nebraska individuals and households.

·        $11,364,176 is for housing assistance and $1,063,816 for disaster-caused other needs.

FEMA Teams Going Door to Door

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are working in impacted neighborhoods to help survivors register for assistance and to identify immediate and emerging needs. Teams are operating in all 15 counties designated for Individual Assistance. They have visited more than 4,988 homes.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

To date, NFIP has received 991 flood insurance claims in Nebraska and issued $3,884,510 in advance payments to policyholders. Total paid to date is $5,327,757.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Available

Individuals can generally receive up to 26 weeks of DUA benefits as long as unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis. The application deadline is April 26, 2019. General information about DUA can be found at dol.nebraska.gov/UIBenefits/Programs/DUA.

Tax Relief for Nebraska Survivors

Individuals who reside or have a business in counties designated for FEMA Individual Assistance may qualify for federal tax relief. This may include additional time to file yearly individual tax returns or quarterly payments.  Eligible taxpayers will also have until July 31, 2019, to make 2018 IRA contributions

NEMA:

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) remind residents planning to rebuild to consult with their local floodplain manager first to see if required permits may be necessary before work can start.

Once the home has been inspected, residents are safe to enter. However, it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure all necessary permits have been obtained – including, if necessary, a Floodplain Development Permit, before starting reconstruction. To find floodplain management contacts, visit dnr.nebraska.gov/floodplain and click on your county.

 
Salvation Army:

Final Note: First "Match" Level Reached
We set a $500,000 "matching challenge Grant" goal on Monday.  To date, we have raised $527,000 towards the "match" as of 3 pm today. Will exceed $1M total either later today or this weekend.

Board Update:
These are updates from the rural areas we serve. You will be seeing more local reports in the days/weeks to come:

• 1500 fans delivered today (huge request for these) Purchased with donations ($26K)  200 vans sent to Horneck, Iowa and 100 to Ponca, Neb today.
• Ordered $50,000 in Lowe's cards today; will be distributed in $250 denominations. (recipients' needs are verified).  
• TSA offered day care services for parents who attended a community meeting.
• $365 was paid for hotel expenses in Norfolk today (Pierce or Norfolk persons; need verified).
• $1,110 in $100 bank cards issued in Norfolk today for basic needs (verified by case worker).
• Serving Columbus residents today, 12 of whom had their homes destroyed.
• Reinforcement Canteen from Fort Dodge, Iowa arriving in Norfolk this evening for additional support (demonstrates the power of the collective army).
• 7,100 meals served thru Thursday.
• 8,300 snacks served thru Thursday.

SBA:

Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded Nebraska small businesses of the May 7, 2019, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury caused by severe storms and flooding in Thurston County that occurred June 25-30, 2018.

UNMC:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8y2pa65is189dbi/AACKN4rjZyASwloUw5fSyXgFa?dl=0

Video 1 – From an infectious disease standpoint, what are the concerns of people going back into their homes?

When folks are finally able to get back into their neighborhoods and their homes, there’s a number of concerns they need to be thinking about. First of all, you have the immediate hazard of electrocution and some chemical hazards from industry plants or maybe somebody stashed chemicals in their garage. But from the infectious disease side of things, those floodwaters are really a witches brew of different kinds of infectious agents. They’re contaminated with sewage, human as well as animal sewage, as well as a lot of organic material.

Video 2 – There a number of people in shelters, what precautions should they take to avoid being sick?

Often times people…they’re rescued from the flood waters and they’re under great stress and they finally get to a shelter and they think, ‘Oh, I’m saved.’ Unfortunately, there are some infectious problems that also go into the shelters with them. The people who run the shelters are trying to do a great job, but people are living in crowded conditions, with less hygiene than they normally might have. Diarrheal illness and respiratory tract illness can spread pretty rapidly in those settings. So the folks who set up shelters need to try to spatially separate people as much as possible.