June 4, 2011 was a devastating morning for buildings surrounding a vacant building at 816 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Over 100 firefighters fought a four-alarm fire that sent six to the hospital and torched neighboring businesses. Of the Prospect Heights businesses affected by the fire, two include a coffee shop and a cell phone retailer.

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The Wallow Wildfire in Arizona has consumed an area half the size of the state of Rhode Island. The dry trees, low humidity and abundant winds create the perfect environment for this wildfire to thrive, which has burned for the last two weeks.

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In a press release today, FEMA announced that Kentucky business owners directly affected by the April 22 to May 20 storms, tornadoes and floods might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The DUA is a special unemployment compensation program for those who do not qualify for standard unemployment assistance through their state.

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An accidental grease fire in the former courthouse and First National Bank in Cadiz, OH on May 6, 2011 left a historical building in ruins, four tenants homeless and a store out of business. Today, owners Tom and Vicki Cole report that they want to restore the building in spite of the fire damage.

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The Associate Press reports that the last month of twisters has already made 2011 the deadliest year regarding tornadoes in over five decades. What may be even more disturbing is that the tornado-affected areas have the highest rate of homes without homeowner’s insurance. Consequently, some of the families who need the most insurance-related assistance do not have it and will have a harder time recouping their losses. While the federal government is able to offer some assistance, the law limits the amount of assistance it can provide to $30,300 per household.

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