RI's September floods were a disaster. What help is available for victims?
NORTH PROVIDENCE − After President Joe Biden declared mid-September flooding in Rhode Island to be a major disaster, making renters, homeowners, businesses and nonprofits eligible for help from the federal government, Mayor Charles Lombardi knew where to take Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.
FEMA and the Small Business Administration are setting up Disaster Recovery Centers in North Providence, Providence, Johnston, Cranston and East Providence for residents to file damage claims and for renters to seek help with their storm-caused expenses.
For a tour of damage caused by flooding – in September, December and again earlier this month – Lombardi brought FEMA Division Supervisor Eric Pelletier to West River Parkway, which, as the name suggests, has branches of the West River running beneath it and beside it.
Fire Chief John Silva, helping to lead the tour for FEMA officials, took them to where the West River goes under the road and splits into two. Where the river runs next to a house on West River Parkway, large chunks of the ground are missing, leaving exposed white drainage pipes.
"It was up to your knees in water," Silva said, motioning to an intersection on Brookdale Road. "The whole road was washed away."
Filing claims with real people
The first step to accessing FEMA grants or the loans available through the Small Business Administration, including loans for homeowners and renters, is to file a claim.
Once the initial claim is filed and FEMA issues a registration number, it is used across both FEMA and the SBA.
No flood insurance: Almost no one impacted by the September flooding disaster had flood insurance. Here's why.
Representatives at the disaster recovery center will walk people through what is available and what they may be eligible to receive. At the Johnston Senior Center, FEMA's Alan Huddleston said they do everything they can to help people get their claims approved, or steer them to better options.
While FEMA offers grants, capped at $42,500, sometimes the better option is an extremely low-interest loan through the SBA instead.
People with higher incomes are also referred directly to the SBA, although Huddleston did not provide the income limits.
Huddleston's biggest piece of advice: Come to a recovery center to make a claim, walk through the process, and see what is available with experienced FEMA officials.
Claims can also be filed online at disasterassistance.gov.
Recovery centers set up to help file claims
Disaster Recovery Centers have been set up in Johnston and Cranston, while a Business Recovery Center, which will also handle FEMA claims, has been set up in North Providence.
The Small Business Administration opened a Business Recovery Center in East Providence for the Washington Bridge closure, which will do double duty for loans through the SBA.
North Providence Public Safety Complex, 1835 Mineral Spring Ave., Business Recovery Center, Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Johnston Senior Center, 1291 Hartford Ave., Disaster Recovery Center, Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cranston Public Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
East Providence's Weaver Library, 41 Grove Ave., Monday through Thursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Originally set up to handle claims from the Washington Bridge closure.
FEMA will be knocking on doors, checking damage
As part of their efforts to get as many people help as possible, FEMA representatives, armed with tablets, will be canvassing neighborhoods affected by the September storms and knocking on doors.
FEMA inspectors will also be out, looking to verify damage claims. It might not seem like they're doing their job, as they tend to take few photos, but their checklist is short, Huddleston said.
FEMA provides recovery aid to renters, too
Many renters were left homeless, including those who nearly drowned in their apartments at the Dean Estates complex in Cranston in September.
While the disaster declaration came nearly four months after the flooding, residents can still request reimbursement for temporary housing during the time they were displaced, Huddleston said.
While FEMA does cap how much aid one person can get, the aid falls into different categories, and rental assistance does not take away from aid available to replace possessions lost to flooding, including cars.
Cranston asks residents to report December, January storm damage
In Cranston, Mayor Ken Hopkins is asking residents to submit initial damage assessment forms from the Dec. 17-19, 2023, storm and flooding, as well as damage from the storm on Jan. 9-11.
The damage-assessment forms help establish evidence for another federal disaster declaration and more federal aid.
"We don't want to wait another three months for help when we've been hit twice in as many months," city spokesman Zack DeLuca said.
Damage assessment form, Dec. 17-19, 2023
Damage assessment form, Jan. 9-11, 2024
What kind of help is available?
Both FEMA and SBA grants and loans can help homeowners, renters, small business owners and nonprofits that experienced damage from the September storms.
FEMA grants typically top out at $42,500 for home repairs, Huddleston said.
SBA disaster loans are available to renters, homeowners, small businesses and nonprofits.
Those loans cover up to $500,000 for homeowners and $100,000 for renters, with interest rates as low as 2.5% for homeowners needing to repair damage.
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No double-dipping allowed
The one big caveat to all loans and grants through FEMA and the SBA is the strict prohibition on double-dipping. That means if something was already paid for, it can't be paid for a second time.
If insurance covers damage, then that damage is not eligible for FEMA grants or SBA loans, Huddleston said.
Disaster loans can, however, be used to bridge the gap between insurance and the actual cost to repair or replace, according to a FEMA fact sheet
What are the SBA loan terms?
There is no interest accrued and no payments for the first 12 months, and no prepayment penalty.
The loans are offered through the federal government, not private banks.
The loans have a maximum term of 30 years.
The interest rate for businesses ranges from is 4% to 8%. The interest rate for homeowners and renters ranges from 2.5% to 5%. The rate for nonprofits is 2.375%.
Loans go up to $2 million, but businesses that are a "major source of employment" can apply for a higher amount.
Borrowers must be able to show that they can repay their loan.
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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: FEMA, SBA available to help those impacted by September RI floods
