Disaster Areas Additional Counties Designated in Alabama, Florida and Georgia

To assure that your Common Manual remains current, please record this document on your LPM/LPB index, and retain it in Appendix E of your manual.

Seven more counties in Alabama have been added to those originally listed on the March 16, 1998 LPB as designated disaster areas because of flooding that began March 7, 1998, as follows: Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale,  Escambia, Geneva,   Henry, Houston, and Randalph.

In addition, new counties have been added to the six in Georgia that were listed on the same March 16, 1998 LPB, designated as disaster areas because of flooding that began there on March 7, as follows: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Burke, Calhoun, Candler, Clay, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooley, Dougherty, Douglas, Early, Emanuel, Haralson, Heard, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, Lee, Macon, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Worth.

Finally, new counties have been added to those listed on the LPBs dated March 3 and March 10, designated as disaster areas because of tornadoes and flooding that began there on February 23, 1998. Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsen, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Lake, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Union, Taylor, Volusia, Walton, and Washington.

The following disaster-related forbearance policies are authorized to assist FFEL borrowers who are residents of these areas.

Disaster-related Forbearance Policy

1. Loan holders are strongly recommended to grant forbearances to borrowers who contact them and indicate that they have been adversely affected by the disaster and need temporary relief from their loan obligations. If the holder believes that the borrower has been harmed and needs assistance, the holder may grant a forbearance for up to 3 months after the disaster strikes, based on either the borrower's oral or written request for assistance, which must be documented in the holder's files.

2. The holder does not need to obtain supporting documentation or a signed written agreement from the borrower to justify a forbearance for this initial 3-month period. The Secretary will decline to enforce the requirements of 34 CFR 682.211(c) for this period.

3. A continuation of the forbearance past this 3-month period will require supporting documentation and a written agreement from the borrower.

We will notify you if additional areas are designated. Questions and concerns may be addressed to the Department’s toll-free number at 1-800-433-7327, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.