Federal Agencies Extend Deadline for Quake Aid
With requests for assistance still pouring in at a rate of 500 a day six months after the Northridge earthquake, federal emergency officials Monday extended the deadline to apply for disaster aid to Sept. 16.
“We’re still getting, believe it or not, a good number of applications from people who have legitimate disaster-related problems,†said Frank Kishton, coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As of Monday, government agencies had received 594,430 requests for assistance--nearly double the previous record set after Hurricane Hugo. The federal government has allocated nearly $12 billion for the recovery effort.
Officials said the deadline also was extended because of nearly 300,000 applications issued but yet to be returned for U.S. Small Business Administration loans. The deadline applies to FEMA grants and SBA loans except economic injury loans, for which the deadline is Oct. 17.
FEMA has sent out 368,860 checks for emergency home repairs or rental assistance. The SBA has approved 87,000 business and home loans. And the state Department of Social Services has awarded 85,200 grants for replacing “basic necessities,†such as lost dentures and damaged appliances. The state also has received 381 requests for grants to pay funeral expenses for quake victims and has paid for the funerals of 117 people.
About 4,600 relief checks have been returned--either voluntarily or on demand from FEMA. Some checks were returned because another member of the same household applied and received aid or private insurance covered the damage. Officials could not immediately say how many checks were returned because of suspected fraud.
Officials also reported that they have received only 2,851 requests for earthquake retrofitting funds. Disaster officials had sent out 250,000 letters offering up to $5,000 in earthquake retrofitting funds to homeowners who file applications for less than $10,000 in federal assistance to repair their homes.
“I was hoping we’d get a better response,†Kishton said. “We’ve got to figure out a better way to market mitigation.â€
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