FEMA registration deadline extended for disaster survivors in Colorado

At the request of the state of Colorado, FEMA has approved an extension for storm and flooding survivors to register for federal disaster assistance.

The new registration deadline is November 30, 2013, which is also the new deadline to complete and return low-interest U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan applications.

Survivors who register may be eligible for federal grants to help cover various disaster-related expenses, including rent, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

The extension is for all 11 Colorado counties designated for federal Individual Assistance: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Clear Creek, El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan and Weld.

People living in these counties who sustained losses due to storms and flooding should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. Applying by the deadline may help survivors avoid a funding shortfall if they later find that they are underinsured or have additional damages.

Under the SBA disaster loan program, homeowners may be eligible for as much as $200,000 in loans to repair or replace their storm-damaged primary residence. Homeowners and renters may be eligible for as much as $40,000 for replacement of personal property. Businesses and private nonprofits may be eligible to borrow as much as $2 million to repair or replace storm-damaged property.

Register with FEMA by phone, 800-621-3362, from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages. People who have a speech disability or are deaf or hard of hearing may call (TTY) 800-462-7585; users of 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362.