Many communities, individuals and businesses across the state were impacted by recent storms and historic flooding. The Governor declared a statewide disaster emergency on August 13, which will help to enhance the state’s response and resource availability. Additionally, President Trump approved an Emergency Declaration for Indiana through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on August 15 to provide additional resources and funding options.
As the recovery process commences, here are some initial resources for impacted businesses:
- Indiana Property Tax Relief Available for Flood-Damaged Properties, including Statutory Reassessment Remedies (via Faegre Drinker): There are two relevant statutes available for real property reassessment affected by flooding: “General Disaster” and “Flood-Specific.” Both have different scopes for relief as well as filing requirements.
- Members of FEMA and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security are conducting damage assessments in impacted counties this week to determine what additional state and federal resources will be needed. More about this process and federal assistance programs can be found in FEMA’s guide. When federal Small Business Administration disaster loans are announced and available, they can be found by selecting the disaster declaration on FEMA’s website.
- Governor Braun and the Indiana Commissioner of Insurance have issued a bulletin calling on insurance companies to implement a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation of any insurance policy in effect for any policyholder directly affected by the disaster events outlined in the Governor’s statewide disaster emergency declaration as well as a suspension of any penalties Hoosiers may face for late payments.
