Braun urges Hoosiers to apply for FEMA aid before Oct. 25 as storm recovery advances

Gov. Mike Braun announced Tuesday that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security will lead a transition from state-funded hotel stays to rental housing and other longer-term arrangements for residents displaced by the severe weather and flooding.

The housing push follows a federal major disaster declaration approved in August, which opened individual assistance to residents in 21 counties.

Jonathan Whitham, the department’s executive director, said the roughly 200 people still in the shelter program are the first priority. Officials don’t know how many other displaced residents have yet to seek assistance.

At peak, some 360 households relied on vouchers for temporary shelter.

The state’s disaster services contractor, Tidal Basin, has begun contacting survivors to assess their housing needs and identify available state and federal help.

“Each survivor in this event, is going to have a different set of circumstances that needs to be addressed,” Whitham said. “They’re going to have opportunities for different types of assistance at both the state and federal level.”

Whitham warned, however, that some survivors may still be staying in tents or cars on their damaged properties. He encouraged residents to apply even if they don’t need assistance immediately so they can seek help if colder weather makes their current living arrangements untenable.

FEMA rental assistance can help eligible residents whose homes are uninhabitable pay rent for up to 18 months while repairs are made.

Darryl Dragoo, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer, said continued assistance involves working with the agency on a monthly basis.

The state is also seeking additional FEMA support that could include home repairs or direct housing assistance for families whose needs cannot be met through available rentals, according to Braun’s office.

Dragoo urged residents without insurance, or with losses their policies don’t cover, to apply.

“Please, register with FEMA,” Dragoo said. “That is the most direct way we can help you.”

More than 60,000 Hoosiers have applied for FEMA assistance, and about 34,000 have received help, Dragoo said. Federal assistance has topped $142 million, while the state has disbursed more than $32 million through its disaster relief fund.

Braun also said a statewide debris removal effort has cleared 80,000 cubic yards across more than 30 communities.