Survivors in Five More Mississippi Counties May Now Apply For Disaster Assistance

PEARL, Miss. – Survivors in Jones, Leake, Montgomery, Simpson and Warren counties whose property was damaged by the recent storms, tornadoes and flooding in Mississippi may now apply for federal disaster assistance.

The five counties were added to the April 30 presidential disaster declaration Tuesday, bringing the total number of Mississippi counties designated for Individual Assistance to 12, according to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The original seven designated counties are Itawamba, Lee, Lowndes, Madison, Rankin, Wayne and Winston.

Assistance for homeowners and renters may include money to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses not met by insurance or other assistance programs. Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration may also be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Survivors can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if the person has registered with another disaster-relief organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card.

Applicants will be asked for the following information:

• Social Security number
• Address of the damaged home or apartment
• Description of the damage
• Information about insurance coverage
• A current contact telephone number
• An address where they can receive mail
• Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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