I'm back after spending 5 days w/o power & phone and 3 days w/o water all from Wilma. I'm one of the lucky ones....over 300,000 are still w/o power in Palm Beach County. The wait for gas has been 4 hours in the few areas where they could pump them. There are a lot of people losing their jobs b/c no one has power, then you have the added expense of replacing your fridge, etc. There are a lot of people experiencing pain.

I feel completely out of touch with what happened last week. Does anyone know if any student loan companies have offered any payment deferments for those in the storm area?

It usually takes a week or two for the guarantey agencies to post storm related deferments. The DOE makes the determination. Give it a week or so and then call your lender. They should receivedd a memo.

Thanks.

I posted b/c the local media is focused on power issues & feeding sites and the national media seems to have moved on to the next story.

http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/katrina.html

The Department provided general guidance (Dear Colleague Letter GEN-04-04) for students, parents, borrowers, institutions, loan holders, and guaranty agencies affected by a disaster. This guidance applies to those impacted by Hurricane Wilma who, at the time of a disaster, were residing in, employed in, or attending an institution located in a county designated as a Federally-declared disaster area. As of October 25, FEMA designated ten counties in Florida eligible for Federal assistance as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
The Department is monitoring the effects of Hurricane Wilma and will provide additional guidance as more information becomes available. Note, at this time, the guidance we have issued related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita does not apply to Hurricane Wilma. Only the provisions of GEN-04-04 and any specific Hurricane Wilma information we post are applicable. Please check this page regularly for updated guidance for those affected by Hurricane Wilma. We will post information as soon as it becomes available.