President Bush has authorized federal assistance for homeowners, renters, and businesses in Porter, Lake, and LaPorte counties who sustained damage in the flooding which began on Sept. 12.

“We appreciate the quick turnaround to our request and the ongoing cooperation we’ve received from FEMA since last summer’s record flooding in other areas of the state to partner with us to help Hoosiers,” Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement released on Tuesday.

FEMA assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in Porter, Lake, and LaPorte counties can begin applying for FEMA assistance today by registering on line at http://www.fema.gov/assistance or by calling (800) 621-FEMA (3362) or (800) 462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free numbers will be in operation in Porter, Lake, and LaPorte counties from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Callers should use disaster number 1795 when they call and are asked to be patient.

The State of Indiana, in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Red Cross will open three one-stop disaster assistance centers in Northwest Indiana beginning on Thursday to help residents impacted by the severe weather. Those centers will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through at least Tuesday, Sept. 30, although they will be closed on Sunday.

The centers are at the following locations and flood victims from all three counties may visit any one of the three sites:

•The former Maruszczak appliance store at 9450 Calumet Ave. in Munster.

•The VFW at 2750 Central Ave. in Lake Station.

•Ivy Tech Community College at 1440 E. 35th Ave. in Gary.

In addition to FEMA and the Red Cross, a number of other services will be available at the one-stop centers:

•Housing support: a list of emergency shelters, temporary housing, and rental assistance.

•Social services: emergency food stamps; applications for TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, and child care; a list of available child care providers; and mental health services.

•Unemployment insurance: apply for Disaster Unemployment Insurance or state unemployment benefits.

•Insurance information: an interpretation of insurance policies by staffers from the Indiana Department of Insurance; information on lost or damaged policies; information on obtaining copies of insurance policies; general insurance navigation advice and complaint resolution; car insurance assistance.

•Public health information: advice on cleanup and education, including mold removal and prevention; vaccination information, including tetanus shots; information regarding free well testing; access and information to vital records like birth and death certificates.

•Transportation advice: information on replacement driver’s license and ID cards; assistance with vehicle title replacement; car insurance assistance.

Daniels sent a letter to President Bush on Saturday requesting federal assistance for the three counties. He also said that he would reserve the right to request the public assistance program and may request assistance for other counties damaged from the remnants of Hurricane Ike, including Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Floyd, Jasper, Jefferson, Jennings, Harrison, Martin, Newton, Perry, Scott, Spencer, and Switzerland.

Posted 9/24/2008