New flood relief center bustling with requests

[Guest guest]

New flood relief center bustling with requests

CHRIS REBER

For the Pocono Record

July 11, 2006

and Jo Seale of Scotrun sat patiently in the sweltering heat of

a makeshift Federal Emergency Management Agency relief center,

waiting for someone to hear them out. Their insurance company had

already said no, and the crews they still need to clean and repair

their home won't return their calls.

" You pay insurance for years and years, " Jo Seale said, " and the one

time you need it they don't help. "

The lower half of the Seales' split-level home in Scotrun Estates

filled up with water in the flooding two weeks ago. They still can't

return to their split-level home because the walls are covered with

mold. , a disabled veteran, tried to use a shop-vac to clean the

basement, but the mold has inundated the lower level of their home.

Jo was already on oxygen therapy before the flood, and the stress

hasn't helped.

" The mold is airborne, " Jo Seale said, " It makes it hard to breathe

and I break out in rashes. "

The Seales were among the first flood victims who came to J.T.

Lambert Intermediate school with their photos and claims, memories

of the properties they lost to the Flood of 2006. They were there

for answers, and hopefully relief, to offset the damage that the

rising waters of the Brodhead and Delaware did to their homes.

" We didn't expect this, " Jo Seale said. " We don't live in a flood

zone. "

The disaster relief center, a joint venture of Federal and

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agencies, is designed to serve as

one-stop shopping for victims of recent flooding. Representatives

from FEMA, the departments of Environmental Protection, Public

Welfare, Aging, Labor and Industry, Insurance, and Health

Information, in addition to the state attorney general, were on hand

to assist victims of flooding.

" Just telling your story is part of the healing process, " Mark

Harper, a FEMA spokesperson, said.

Individuals who were affected by the storm are eligible for disaster

relief loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as

need-based grants from FEMA. Home loans are available at a rate of

2.2937 percent for those who can't get bank loans, and 5.875 percent

for those who can.

" FEMA could have sent volunteers, " Elens, a SBA loan officer,

said. " But they wanted to make sure everything was handled

correctly, "

SBA loans of up to $200,000, for housing structures and $40,000 for

personal property, are available to individuals who lost property in

the flood. Businesses can receive up to $1.5 million — but business

owners were unsure whether they would receive the low-interest loans

the government has promised.

" I was here last time and I got zero, " said Nick Ioannidis, whose

family owns the Water Gap Diner. " I don't know if it's worth it, but

you have to try and get something out of it. "

Ioannidis, whose diner will be closed for two months, estimates he

will lose about $80,000 — and that's a modest claim.

" That's not including stock, dry goods, " Ioannidis said. " We had two

dumpsters full. "

Harper said that the center would remain open " as long as it's

needed. "

The FEMA center is open to anyone who claims damages from the flood,

but victims are encouraged to call the agency's toll-free number, 1-

800-621-FEMA, before they arrive. At the center, individuals can

talk directly to the officials who are handling their claims.

" Questions can be answered here, " Harper said. " People can have that

face-to-face interaction. "

Flood victims who have not yet registered with FEMA should contact

FEMA with a list of their damages and losses, their insurance

information, Social Security number and a phone number where they

can be reached. Applying for FEMA aid takes about 20 minutes.

The disaster relief center in the J.T. Lambert gymnasium is open

weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.