AUSTELL, Ga. -- Almost everything Euel Nichols owns is gone. Decades of living were washed away in the September floods. Nichols didn’t waste time looking back. He applied for and has already received Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money for his house.

His request is one of 27,000 applications received by FEMA. The agency is concerned some people will miss out. Monday is the deadline to apply for federal assistance.

Buzz Weiss of GEMA said, “They might think they’re ineligible for many reasons, but we encourage them to apply.”

Euel Nichols said the FEMA process to receive grant money was easy. Figuring out what to do next is the hard part. The money does not cover the cost to rebuild. He does not want to deal with another big flood.

He also owns a business on his property. His VW repair business was flooded. Lately, his full-time job has been scraping off mud. He could apply for a small business disaster loan. Unlike the grant money for the house, he would have to pay back the business loan.

Nichols said, “I don’t want to owe money at my age. I just passed 69.” Nichols lives in a trailer in his driveway and wonders where will he eventually call home.

If you call for assistance, the deadline is 10 p.m. The phone number is 800-621-FEMA. If you apply online, the deadline is midnight. The Web site is www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers will close at the end of business hours. The number is 800-659-2955.