FEMA sets up shop in DuPage

About 3,000 area homes sustained flood damage after rains deluged the area in mid-September, and now many of those homeowners may be headed to DuPage County for assistance.

The Federal Emergency Management Association will open a disaster recovery office in DuPage County that will assist businesses and residents in Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle and Will Counties impacted by the floods. President George W. Bush issued a major disaster declaration for those counties, triggering the release of assistance money for qualifying applications. Local municipal and county governments will also be eligible to receive assistance, including partial reimbursement for the additional emergency staff manpower hours the floods necessitated.

The FEMA office will open at noon Tuesday at the DuPage County Jack T. Knuepfer Administration Building at 421 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton. Starting Wednesday, the office will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. The agency wants residents and businesses to get the ball rolling before coming to the office by registering online at fema.gov or calling (800) 621-3362.

Documentation, such as receipts and photos, will help substantiate the losses.

Assistance for affected individuals and families who qualify may include: rental payments for temporary housing, grants for home repairs, grants to replace personal property and help meet medical needs and low-interest loans to cover residential losses. Businesses, through the Small Business Administration may be eligible for loans up to $2 million if they've suffered disaster-related cash flow problems.

Assistance will generally not cover all losses resulting from the flood and is not meant to restore damaged property to its condition before the disaster, according to the FEMA Web site. Losses covered by insurance are also not eligible.