An arroyo next to Farmer’s Ditch in Flora Vista flowed over the banks at 6:57 p.m. on Friday evening. (David Edward Albright/Tri-City Record)
An arroyo next to Farmer’s Ditch in Flora Vista flowed over the banks at 6:57 p.m. on Friday evening. (David Edward Albright/Tri-City Record)cca

FEMA sets deadline to apply for disaster relief in San Juan County

FEMA announced Monday that Aug. 19 is the last day to apply for federal disaster assistance for those affected by storms and flooding in San Juan County.

“To date, FEMA has approved nearly $4.5 million in Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance for homeowners and renters who suffered damage from the fires and flooding,” a news release stated.

“The agency’s federal partner in disaster assistance, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved nearly $7 million in long-term, low-interest home and business loans.”

The deadline to apply for a long-term, low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration also is Aug. 19. The deadline for businesses and private nonprofits to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is March 20.

Residents in Lincoln, Otero, Rio Arriba or San Juan County and on the Mescalero Apache Reservation may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP or other federal and state benefits.

A FEMA spokesperson is available for interviews in English and Spanish at (940) 898-5454.

Learn more at fema.gov/disaster/4795.

How to apply for FEMA disaster assistance

The first step to receive assistance is to apply to FEMA for federal assistance. There are no costs. There are four ways to apply:Go to disasterassistance.gov and download the FEMA App for mobile devices at fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products.Call the FEMA helpline at (800) 621-3362 between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Mountain. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. Visit a disaster recovery center operated by the state of New Mexico and FEMA. For location and hours, visit fema.gov/drc.