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The U.S. Small Business Administration announces today the opening of three additional Disaster Loan Outreach Centers and one Business Recovery Center on Monday, July 21 at 9 a.m. The locations of the Centers will make it convenient for disaster victims affected by the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding of June 5 and continuing to apply for disaster loan assistance. The SBA encourages victims to visit the Centers to apply for assistance.

The value of disaster loans approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration from flooding and tornadoes this spring in Iowa has passed the $100 million mark.

The agency as of Thursday had approved more than $101.1 million in disaster loans, according to Joe Folsom, the agency’s district director for Iowa.

Nebraska taxpayers affected by the storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 22 through June 24 are entitled to certain forms of tax relief, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Individuals who live, work or have a business in the counties declared disaster areas may apply.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said the counties included in the federal disaster declaration are Buffalo, Butler, Colfax, Custer, Dawson, Douglas, Gage, Hamilton, Jefferson, Kearney, Lancaster, Platte, Richardson, Sarpy and Saunders.

Relatives of missing persons in the MV Princess of the Stars sinking, braved the stench of decomposing flesh as they viewed 49 bodies, which were brought to Cebu by Sulpicio Lines yesterday.

However, only the bodies of Juvelyin Requilme Jr., 16; Esmeralda Lequi-gan, 54; Julie Mendoza, 43; crewmember Ruel Lariba and PNP 7 Band member SPO3 Adolfo Villareal were identified by the anxious family members at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Junque-ra St., Cebu City yesterday.

DES MOINES - Gov. Chet Culver announced today that President Bush has granted a request for expedited federal disaster assistance to Iowans hard hit by tornado and storm damage in Butler County.

Culver said today’s presidential action will enable federal and state officials to establish processing and recovery centers to assist residents trying to assess losses and request government help in dealing with the worst tornado-related disaster to hit Iowa in 40 years.

On Wednesday April 30th in Benton Arkansas, a Disaster Recovery Center will open to help disaster victims affected by storms on April 3rd that produced three devastating tornadoes and severe flooding in Saline County.

The Disaster Recovery Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Holland Chapel Baptist Church Family Life Center located at 15523 Interstate 30. It will remain open through Tuesday, May 27th.

Disaster victims are being asked to register for assistance before visiting the Disaster Recovery Center online or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those who are speech- or hearing-impaired. Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Representatives from ADEM, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be available to answer questions and to provide recovery information during this time at the Disaster Recovery Center.

Officials will also be able to check the status of disaster applications, discuss the SBA’s low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and businesses, provide information about state agencies and voluntary organizations as well as provide information on how to reduce damage in the future.

Officials stated that absolutely no cash, checks, debit cards or vouchers are distributed at disaster recovery centers. These centers are solely for the distribution of information to assist the victims during their recovery.

People who had personal property destroyed by the storms should call Crawford’s office at 302-5622.

The Benton Community Development Department has a mobile permit office set up through Friday at the guard shack at Hurricane Lake Estates to eliminate trouble for homeowners in the demolition process.. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday and may be reached at 317-5304.

After Hinds County sustained large amounts of damage from a tornado and ensuing weather on April 4, Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi asked the federal government to declare Hinds County a major disaster area.

In his request to the President and FEMA, anyone eligible for federal grants of up to $28,000 under FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program have their homes rebuilt.

Also, Governor Barbour requested that FEMA’s Public Assistance Program reimburse the state up to 75% for debris removal and overtime costs. Findings have estimated that cost at $2,577,535.

State and federal assessment teams inspecting the hardest hit areas of Hinds County found damaged homes were either uninsured or underinsured, a requirement to obtain federal assistance.
The team reported the following findings:
• 25 homes destroyed
• 112 homes with major damage
• 144 homes with minor damage
• 38 homes affected
• All homes were under or uninsured
• 64 percent of the affected residents are renters

Millions of disaster victims in Bangladesh are still in serious need of housing 5 months after Cyclone Sidr swept through, killing 4000 people and destroying 1.5 million homes. Hundreds of thousands of familes are still living in or under makeshift shelter with the annual monsoon season just around the corner.

Combining the cyclone with the storm surge that shortly followed, the devastation is nearly 4 times greater than that of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, making it nearly impossible for disaster relief organizations to provide the required aid.

“The combined efforts of all aid agencies as well as bilateral government pledges for core housing are likely to reach around 60,000 affected families. But this is only a fraction of those who need help,” said Graham Saunders, head of shelter for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, speaking on behalf of the global Emergency Shelter Cluster and the operational shelter agencies in Bangladesh.

“More than 260,000 extremely vulnerable families are currently not getting any assistance to rebuild their homes. Assessments indicate that these families have very limited means of coping on their own, and there are simply not sufficient programmes in the pipeline to help them,” he said.

For a map of the affected area, click here.

(source) Bush: We’re sorry you’re going through what you’re going through. You know life sometimes is unfair and you don’t get to play the hand you wanted to play but the question is when you get dealt the hand how do you play it, and I’ve come away with this impression of the folks here in Macon county. One, they’re down to earth good hard working people. They have a respect for the Almighty, and this community is going to be as strong as ever. That’s what I think.

So where was “the government is here to help” part?

It seems that, while aid will be provided to victims of last weeks tornadoes, much more of it is coming from volunteers than from the government. For those who provide disaster relief on a volunteer basis, this just goes to show that their commitment really does make a huge difference - and they deserve thanks for it.

(source)The death count has went up since I posted yesterday, They found 7 more souls lost to the killer storms. Lets just hope the federal response time will not be so woefully lacking as it was after Katrina hit the gulf coast. Probably not as these people may not have been as poor as the residents of New Orleans who languished for days on end awaiting help that was so slow to come. Help that was too late for some as they perished awaiting relief. I could write a book articulating the inadequate response from the federal government. The only ones on top of their game were the men and women of the Coast Guard who tirelessly, flew mission after mission saving stranded people.

While you cannot turn on the news without discussion of the tornado storms and the damage that they have done. At this time, a great deal of aid is being moved into the area. Still it’s important to remember failures of the past to do better in the future.