Annual Update Campaign Begins for Special Needs Registry

For Immediate Release For more information contact:

July 17, 2009 Metro Services 256.236.8642

Annual update campaign begins for special needs registry

As part of its planning and response strategy for the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) maintains a registry of people with special needs in Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, St. Clair and Talladega counties. Over 4,700 verification forms have been mailed to registered people with special needs in an effort to update their information.

A registered person with specials needs will receive a letter from AEMA, a verification form printed with their personal information and a postage-paid reply envelope. The registrant should review and update their personal information and return the verification form in the postage-paid reply envelope. Even if there are no changes to the information, the verification form should be returned to AEMA. The registrant can also update their information by calling 256.236.8642 or 800.263.0201.

The registry includes people who:

• Have a physical, mental or medical problem and cannot shelter in place or evacuate,
• Need transportation,
• Have children who are home alone, and
• Do not have nearby family, friends or neighbors who can provide assistance in an emergency

If you are a person with special needs, registering with AEMA is just one step in your emergency preparedness plan. Knowing what to do – before, during and after an emergency – will help you be prepared. People with special needs should create a help network of people who can assist them within minutes of an emergency. As part of the registration process, information will be provided to help you create an emergency preparedness plan. During an emergency, people should be prepared to protect themselves and help each other because county and state emergency services may not be able to respond quickly to the overwhelming number of requests for assistance that would occur.

If you have registered as a person with special needs and have not received a verification form, contact the Alabama Special Needs Population Program at 256.236.8642 or 800.263.0201. Text telephone users can call 256.236.8812. For more information about emergency preparedness or registering as a person with special needs, call the Alabama Special Needs Population Program or visit www.alabamaspp.com. You can also contact your county emergency management agency at: Gadsden/Etowah County 256.549.4575

"United We Serve" Calls on People to Commit to Meaningful Volunteer Services in Their Daily Lives

Visit Serve.gov to find out how you can help.

H1N1 PSA Contest

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is sponsoring a contest encouraging people to make a public service announcement that influences people to take steps to prevent the spread of the H1N1 (also known as swine) flu. Visit http://flu.gov/psa/index.html for more details.

One Month Left to Apply for SBA's Disaster Loan

One Month Left to Apply for SBA’s Disaster Loan;

Approved Loans Now Total Over $1 Million

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration reminds homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations located in Alabama of the deadline to submit disaster loan applications for damage caused by severe storms and tornadoes that occurred from
April 10 through 13, 2009. The deadline to file an application for physical damage is August 10, 2009.

The disaster declaration covers Blount, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan counties in Alabama and Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties in Georgia, which are eligible for Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the SBA. More than $1 million in disaster assistance loans have now been approved for disaster victims in Alabama.

“Currently nine disaster loans have been approved in the amount of $1,033,100 for residents and businesses impacted by the disaster,” said Frank Skaggs, Director of SBA Field Operations Center East. “We are pleased to be able to get these loans approved so the disaster victims can rebuild and resume their normal lives.”

The SBA offers loans up to $200,000 to repair disaster damaged primary residences. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to replace personal property such as furniture, appliances and clothing. Loans to businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations are available up to $2 million to repair damage to real estate, machinery, inventory and equipment.

The Small Business Administration’s EIDLs are available to small businesses, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.
EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 2.187 percent for homeowners and renters and 4.000 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Additionally, disaster victims with insurance should not wait for an insurance settlement before applying to the SBA. If victims do not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, the SBA will consider making a loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay their SBA loan.

SBA’s Deadline to Apply for Physical Damage

Disaster Loans Is August 10

The SBA also offers mitigation funds to disaster victims based on 20 percent of the verified damage. These funds are designed to help borrowers pay for protective measures, which may prevent damages of the same kind in the future.

Disaster victims may obtain an application by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing-impaired) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. EDT, or by emailing the Customer Service Center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Victims may apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is August 10, 2009. The deadline to return economic injury applications is March 9, 2010.