LITTLE ROCK — The federal government has approved more than $24.1 million in disaster recovery aid for Arkansas since February, an amount that continues to climb as more residents of storm-ravaged communities ask for help.
That total, released Friday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, includes grants and loans doled out after the Feb. 5 tornadoes and the subsequent flooding and twisters that swept through the state in March and April.
To date, more than 12,448 households have applied for federal aid.
Much of that aid already is inresidents' hands as they repair homes, pay medical bills and rebuild their lives. And some has been distributed to local governments as they fix roads and rebuild other public infrastructure, federal and state officials said.
Damage from last week's violent storms that killed seven people across the state is still being assessed. Gov. Mike Beebe has asked that six Arkansas counties be declared disaster areas, laying the groundwork for more federal aid.
FEMA has approved $11.4million in aid for the storms that hit the state between March 18 and April 28. That includes the April 3 storms that spawned 12 tornadoes in Saline, Pulaski, Lonoke and White counties, and heavy rains that flooded scores of homes.
The bulk of that aid - $7.4 million - went to cover housing needs such as hotel stays and home repairs. Another $979,000 went to help with other personal-property damage, medical costs and expenses that residents' insurance did not cover.
"Those figures, of course, will continue to grow," said Dan Martinez, a spokesman forFEMA in Little Rock, who added that 258 people affected by flooding and storms in March and April applied for aid on Thursday alone. The deadline to apply for aid to help with those disasters has been extended to June 27.
Those seeking FEMA aid can call (800) 621-3362.
The Feb. 5 storms that killed 13 people and caused widespread damage and injuries in at least 12 counties led to $12.7 million in government aid. More than half of the relief was for small-business loans.
The total amount of aid given from that storm isn't expected to increase because the deadline for seeking help has passed.
It's unclear how much the state has contributed in aid. Martinez said the figures FEMA released did not include the state's share of the aid. Officials with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management did not immediately have that information available.
Martinez said the state's share would come in the form of matching funds. The percentage varies depending on the type of aid.
FEMA allocated roughly $1.7 million to help with repairs to public infrastructure, such as schools and roads, for the February and the March-through-April disaster periods.
On Friday, a group of relief organizations picked up where the government left off, giving out cash, clothes, food, counseling and cleaning supplies.
Mark Mink, a 48-year-old disabled U.S. Army veteran, needs it all.
He was one of scores of Arkansans who loaded their cars with donations distributed at the Arkansas Rice Depot food bank in southwest Little Rock.
When Mink crawled out of the debris after a twister obliterated his friend's trailer where he hunkered down during the May 2 storms, he found his Hensley trailer blown to bits.
"It wasn't nothing but matchsticks in the yard," Mink said. He said he won't be able to buy a new one unless FEMA gives him a grant.
It's been a rough month for Claudia Randall, a 57-year-old hotel employee whose mobile home was destroyed when a twister ripped through the Hurricane Lake Mobile Home Park in Benton in April.
It was her second home destroyed by a tornado. A 1997 twister sent her packing from her south Little Rock property.
Federal officials gave out pamphlets and paperwork Friday and told storm victims to get the ball rolling since they expect the state to receive several disaster declarations after last week's storms damaged or destroyed more than 350 homes in six counties.
"It's been really overwhelming," Randall said while pushing a shopping cart through the Rice Depot warehouse, where she was encouraged to take as much as she could handle. She stocked up on bottled drinks, snacks, clothes and othersupplies.
"People are just so wonderful," she said. "You never want to be on the receiving end, but stuff happens. And that's the hardest thing to do in a situation like this."
Front Section, Pages 1, 9 on 05/10/2008