FEMA, SBA: Register for Superstorm Sandy Assistance by Tuesday, Feb. 12

[Editor's note: The following information was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Assocation. Update - the date of the closing of the Disaster Loan Outreach Center has been updated based on New information.]

Homeowners, renters, business owners, and nonprofit organizations affected by Superstorm Sandy have until Tuesday, Feb. 12 to register for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance or Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans, FEMA announced Wednesday.

Fairfield's Disaster Loan Outreach Center, located at the Fairfield Senior Center, will close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, according to a release from the SBA.

Until its closing, the Fairfield center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to applying at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center, survivors can register with the SBA for physical damange assistance online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website.

Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov.  Completed paper applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Applications for SBA assistance for economy injury are due July 31, 2013, according to the release from the SBA.

Residents can apply for FEMA disaster assistance online anytime through Feb. 12 at FEMA's website or with a smartphone or other Web-enabled device at m.fema.gov. People can also register, check the status of applications or receive other assistance by calling FEMA at 800-621-3362, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week. The TTY number is 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available.

Registering for disaster assistance with other agencies will not secure register FEMA disaster assistance, according to a release from FEMA. Having FEMA flood insurance does not register policyholders for FEMA disaster assistance, nor does it disqualify anyone from applying for assistance. Flood insurance claims are handled separately.

More than 12,000 Connecticut residents have so far registered for state and federal assistance and assistance approved; more than $41.5 million in aid has been approved. Nearly $30 million of that total is in the form in low-interest disaster loans through the SBA.