A neighbor's garage was flattened, but Barbara Garibay's garage was completely blown away by a tornado March 31 in the Forest Hills subdivisio…
WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Gov. Eric Holcomb's request for money to assist with recovery efforts in areas affected by severe weather last month.
Residents in areas hit by the heavy winds and tornadoes March 31 can use the federal aid for temporary housing, home repairs, uninsured property losses, and programs to help business owners and families recover from the weather.
Funding is available for Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Johnson, Lake, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan and White counties, FEMA announced Saturday.
Holcomb's initial request, submitted April 6, included three counties. An assessment finalized Thursday discovered numerous areas in the state that sustained major damage to houses, property and businesses.
Tornadoes were officially identified in areas of Lake, Porter and Jasper counties, according to a statement Thursday from the National Weather Service. The twisters damaged Merrillville, Hobart, Remington and Shorewood Forest. The tornadoes were classified as levels 0 and 1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (0 to 6), which measures the severity of tornadoes. Winds varied from 65 to 110 mph, according to the NWS.Â
FEMA said Brian F. Schiller would be the designated federal coordinating officer for operations in the state. If necessary, additional representatives will join at a later date.
Apply for assistance at disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362. Those affected by the severe storms can also apply for aid through the FEMA app.
A neighbor's garage was flattened, but Barbara Garibay's garage was completely blown away by a tornado March 31 in the Forest Hills subdivision in Merrillville.