Sumter County tornado aid tops $11M

Path of March 1 tornado through Americus, GA.
Click on image for larger view. (Dave Bender)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) say that over $11.1 million in federal disaster aid has been approved for area residents, The Americus Times-Recorder reports.

The Disaster Loan Outreach Center located in Sumter County will close Wednesday, May 2. The center was set up in the wake of the lethal tornado that mauled Americus and other areas in southwestern Georgia on March 1.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in a press release urges disaster victims to "visit the Center before the closing to obtain one-on-one assistance and information about SBA's disaster assistance program."

The Center is located at:
John Pope Industrial Center - Business Expansion Department.
South Georgia Technical College
900 South GA Tech Parkway
Americus, GA 31709
Open: Monday-Wednesday
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Closes: Wednesday, May 2 at the close of business

More information about the SBA's Disaster Loan Programs is available here: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance

Overturned vehicle at Sumter Regional Hospital,
ravaged by tornado's winds.
Click on image for larger view. (Dave Bender)