Albany Area Storm Recovery Roundup

Deadline set for Jan. 2 storm debris removal

ALBANY — Albany city officials are asking that all residents affected by the Jan. 2 storm have their debris moved to rights-of-way no later than March 13.

Storm debris should be separated from normal yard trimmings. The city is enrolled in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s accelerated debris removal program.

The city’s Solid Waste Division will continue to collect yard trimmings twice a month as scheduled. As a reminder, storm debris located on private property cannot be removed by the city of Albany or Ceres. Only storm debris placed on public rights-of-way will be eligible for collection, city officials said.

If a resident hires a contractor to perform repairs on their home or buildings, the contractor is responsible for properly disposing of the construction and demolition debris. For more information on debris removal, contact Ceres at (229) 288-6235.

FEMA center in Sylvester transitions into loan outreach center

SYLVESTER — The state and Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center in Worth County is set to transition to a U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Outreach Center.

The DRC in Sylvester, at the Worth County Community Center, 1310 North Monroe St., transitioned at the end of business Thursday, and the DLOC opened today at the same address. It will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for a two-week period, FEMA officials said.

SBA customer service representatives are expected to be there to answer questions, explain the application process and help businesses apply for a disaster loan.

Individuals can stay in touch with FEMA through the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362. Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability may call (800) 462-7585. On a computer, smartphone or tablet, log onto disasterassistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app.

For more information on SBA disaster loans, contact the SBA Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or (800) 877-8339 for those deaf or hard-of-hearing, or visit sba.gov/disaster.

SBA sets disaster loan deadline for nonprofits

ALBANY — The U.S. Small Business Administration is advising eligible private nonprofit organizations to apply for a physical damage disaster loan by March 27.

Nonprofit organizations include, but are not limited to, schools and colleges, museums, libraries, homeless shelters and food kitchens. The SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to nonprofit organizations for physical losses up to $2 million.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Emails can be sent to [email protected], and an application can be downloaded from the SBA website. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, Texas, 76155.

BASF makes donation for Adel storm relief

ADEL — BASF recently presented the Adel Tornado Relief Fund with a $10,000 donation to help fund disaster relief efforts in the wake of several tornadoes that devastated areas in and around Cook County.

“BASF and the 190 employees who work at our Sparks, Georgia, site are deeply saddened by the devastation sustained in Southern Georgia from the recent tornadoes,” said Mark Wolverton, site director for BASF’s facility in Sparks. “We hope that this contribution will help improve the situation for many families in our community during this difficult time.”

The Adel Tornado Relief Fund was established to assist communities in Cook County and surrounding areas severely damaged by tornadoes that struck the area Jan. 21-22.