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Bush Declares Major Disaster From Kansas Tornadoes
Parts of Kiowa County, Kan. struck by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding on May 4 have been declared major disaster areas by President Bush, making federal funding available for affected individuals.
Coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and businesses losses not fully compensated by insurance.
Additional housing assistance will be offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture.
As state and local first responders, volunteers and search and rescue crews arrived on the scene to sort through the devastation, FEMA was deploying critical emergency equipment, food supplies and disaster assistance personnel to support the recovery effort in Kansas.
FEMA has moved critical supplies into the affected area, including 15,000 gallons of water for approximately 5,000 people and 21,000 meals to feed 10,000.
To assist home builders associations working in their communities to help both local consumers and building industry members in times of disaster, NAHB has compiled resources such as general talking points, government assistance links and information from FEMA, the Red Cross and the Small Business Administration on disaster recovery.
To access these resources, click here (nahb.org/disasterresources).
NAHB also has a series of column service articles on natural disaster that can be localized. To access the articles, NAHB members can click here.
For information about NAHB's public relations resources related to disasters, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB at 800-368-5242 x8447.
For technical information related to disaster recovery, including ongoing post-Katrina efforts along the Gulf Coast, contact Ken Ford, x8228.
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