Oct 3, 2008 7:43 pm US/Central
Thousands Apply For Disaster Assistance In NW Ind.
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (Post-Tribune) ―
More than 11,000 northwest Indiana households have applied for federal disaster assistance in the aftermath of the flooding that ravaged the region last month.
There are 37 federal inspectors in the field, attempting to verify the aid applications.
Officials said 10,308 of those applications came from Lake County, the area hardest hit by the heavy rains.
In Porter County, 743 homeowners applied for aid at Federal Emergency Management Agency "one-stop shops," according to Andy Miller, director of the state Office of Disaster Recovery.
Miller said the 11,954 total applicants exceeded the number officials expected.
By comparison, Miller said FEMA received about 17,000 applications for aid following damaging storms downstate this summer.
"In that case, 41 counties were declared federal disaster areas," Miller said.
"Now, to be fair, Lake County has about 500,000 residents, while many of those downstate counties are rural counties with small populations."
Still, Miller said officials were surprised by the large number of Northwest Indiana applicants.
About 24,100 people applied for emergency food stamps in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, Miller said.
Applicants for food stamps had to testify they had been affected by the floods, but did not have to show proof.
Emergency housing locations will remain open at least until Oct. 11, according to Gordon Johnson, executive director of the Red Cross of Northwest Indiana.
"A rumor got started that they were going to close the shelters, but that isn't the case," Johnson said.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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