Community Corner
FEMA Extends Sandy Hotel Program Again
Transitional Sheltering Program extended fourt times since Hurricane Sandy.
Displaced Hurricane Sandy victims who receive federal funds for temporary hotel will not have to check out this weekend.
The Transitional Sheltering Program (TSP), known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency-paid temporary hotel program, was extended by 14 days, with the new checkout date scheduled for Feb. 10, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday. FEMA approved the extension at the request of state officials.
“This action will allow eligible survivors from Hurricane Sandy who cannot return to their homes to stay in participating hotels or motels and enable eligible individuals the ability to receive federal assistance for repairing their damaged properties,” Cuomo said in a statement.
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TSP is short-term program that places families in hotels while they work toward a longer-term housing plan, according to the state. Individuals must be checked in to the program by January 26, 2013 to be eligible.
Thursday’s extension was the fourth since the program started Nov. 3, five days after Hurricane Sandy devastated Long Island and the tri-state area. The third extension was scheduled to expire Jan. 26, with a hotel checkout date of Jan. 27.
Hotels that participate in the program charge the government a lower rate, or $142 per night, according to the Long Beach Herald. The Allegria Hotel in Long Beach is among the hotels participating in the program.
"I am pleased that FEMA has extended these benefits," Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) said in a statement to Patch. "People who are struggling to survive should not have to live with the threat of being displaced once again."
At a meeting of the Long Island Regional Planning Council at Long Beach City Hall last Thursday, Kevin Hannes, a FEMA branch director, said that there were about 1,000 households staying at hotels across Long Island after the storm, but that number has since dropped to about 700. Most are Nassau County residents.
“There is discussion of an extension,” Hannes said last week. He noted that FEMA looks to work with the Red Cross and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide the funding for hotel stays.
FEMA also approved a 30-day extension for the Individual Assistance (IA) program on Thursday. The new deadline is Feb. 27. The IA extension will provide an additional 30 days for individuals and businesses to apply to FEMA for assistance for home repairs and other needs and to the Small Business Administration for loans. The prior deadline was Jan. 28.
To be eligible for FEMA Programs, survivors must first apply for federal assistance through FEMA by:
· Registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov;
· Registering via smartphone or tablet by using the FEMA app or going to m.fema.gov; or
· Registering by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) (TTY 800-462-7585). For 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.
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