Tornado victims in limbo, Elkhart County still waiting for aid following June storm

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind.--The August Derecho is still making headlines, two months after the storm. FEMA assistance is being allocated to victims for that storm, but victims of another storm just a month earlier are still waiting.

The EF-2 tornado that ripped through Elkhart County on June 11 impacted more than 600 properties, leaving many wondering, "where is the relief for this storm?" Elkhart County EMA Executive Director, Jen Tobey, says her agency applied for FEMA aid after the storm, but it still hasn't heard anything. Even though Tobey says a small part of her " thinks that [Elkhart County was] kind of forgotten," she still fights for those who were impacted. 

"We're still under review for FEMA," Tobey explains. "We have not been denied. We have not been approved. There are steps that have to take place, and in this case, we skipped the FEMA step because we honestly got tired of waiting." Thankfully, other resources like the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) have given residents the opportunity to get relief and aid.   

SBA was stationed at the EMA office during the last two weeks in October -- answering questions about the assistance they provide. Hunger Ends Here, another local program, provided food boxes and cases of water for victims. Weather radios were provided by the EMA office -- which are all still available for pickup at the office.

Tobey stressed the importance of taking advantage of these services when they are available -- as they can reduce the time spent awaiting relief. SBA public affairs specialist, Mosissa Terfassa, says two programs are available to storm victims -- physical damage and an economic injury disaster loan. Victims can receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for home and business repairs. "If there's damage that happened to your house, a person can get up to $500,000. That would be to repair, replace your property, and business owners can get up to $2 million," Terfassa says. 

While SBA is no longer stationed at Elkhart County EMA, victims can still apply for assistance online. The deadline for physical damage applications for SBA is Dec. 8 -- and economic injury applications are due next May.

Residents still looking for immediate relief can contact the Elkhart County EMA office for help.