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Groups Mobilize To Reach Tornado Survivors Before School Starts; FEMA Deadline Extended

A truckload of shoes arrives at Corinthian Baptist Church, ready for donation to people affected by the recent tornadoes.
George Drake, Jr.
/
WYSO
A truckload of shoes arrives at Corinthian Baptist Church, ready for donation to people affected by the recent tornadoes.

The deadline for tornado survivors to apply for assistance through FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration has been extended. The new deadline to apply for disaster grants and loans is now September 3.

FEMA and SBA emergency assistance could be available to anyone living in disaster-declaration counties related to the 21 confirmed tornadoes that touched down in Western Ohio during the evening of May 27 and early morning of May 28:

Auglaize, Darke, Greene, Hocking, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Muskingum, Perry, and Pickaway counties.
 
More than two months after the Memorial Day tornadoes, hundreds of families remain displaced across Montgomery County alone. 

Kelly Cappoen with the Living City Project says many tornado survivors are living in temporary housing situations without bedding, furniture or other household items they need to start new lives.

Her group is working with St. Vincent de Paul and the Community Action Partnership to recruit volunteers to help with deliveries before school starts this month. 

“The goal is to get as many families who are displaced, get their furniture to them, get whatever that we can provide to them wherever they are,” she says.

Cappoen says volunteers are especially needed Saturday, Aug. 10 .

Click for more information on how to sign up

Click to apply for disaster assistance through FEMA, or start an application by phone at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Click to apply for SBA disaster loans for homeowners, renters and business owners in disaster areas, or call 800-659-2955.

Jess Mador comes to WYSO from Knoxville NPR-station WUOT, where she created an interactive multimedia health storytelling project called TruckBeat, one of 15 projects around the country participating in AIR's Localore: #Finding America initiative. Before TruckBeat, Jess was an independent public radio journalist based in Minneapolis. She’s also worked as a staff reporter and producer at Minnesota Public Radio in the Twin Cities, and produced audio, video and web stories for a variety of other news outlets, including NPR News, APM, and PBS television stations. She has a Master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York. She loves making documentaries and telling stories at the intersection of journalism, digital and social media.