New Yorkers Face Tuesday Deadline To Apply For Ida Relief; New Jersey Has Until Wednesday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York and New Jersey residents hit by the remnants of Hurricane Ida are running out of time to apply for federal aid.
Tuesday is the deadline for New Yorkers to file an application with FEMA. There is a midnight deadline to apply online and an 11 p.m. deadline to apply by phone.
People in New Jersey have until Wednesday.
Low interest loans are available to storm victims. Residents can use the money for rental assistance and home repairs not covered by insurance.
- CLICK HERE for how to apply.
CBS2's Lisa Rozner caught up with some of the hardest hit homeowners Tuesday.
"We need help. We're in desperate need of help," Westerleigh resident Enid Earles said.
It's a crying plea four months after Sept. 1, when torrential rains from Ida swept into the first floor of Earles' home on Caswell Avenue.
Sentimental items dating back to the Civil War were destroyed, as well as basic necessities, including her car. Earles and her two sisters and nephew are sharing a 1991 Nissan to get around.
They say FEMA did not give them anything close to the $100,000 they estimate they need for repairs.
"Within a matter of literally a few minutes, your entire world can be turned upside down," Westerleigh resident Carol Johnston said.
Across the street, tarp covers Pat Leuschner's garage. Doors are on back order until April.
His basement has been cleared out, and he says some FEMA money helped.
"We lost the heaters, washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator. It just went on and on and on," he said.
Most of the people Rozner spoke with say they are now appealing to FEMA for more aid. They say politicians promised they would get the full amount possible.
On 183rd Street in Hollis, Queens, there's a partial vacate order on the home where a mother and son died in the basement apartment.
The homeowner tells CBS2 more than $200,000 in repairs are needed. FEMA has given them just shy of $13,000.
Across the street, Sahadeo Bhagwandin says they have up to $180,000 in damages and received $17,000 from FEMA.
FEMA says those who have already received a response have 60 days from that date to send a written appeal. The maximum grant FEMA will give is $36,000.
