Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams Visit Oklahoma Neighborhoods

Oklahoma City – People in Oklahoma who’ve been affected by the recent severe storms and flooding may soon see Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams in neighborhoods, knocking on doors.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are partnering to provide this mobile resource to help connect homeowners, business owners and faith-based and community organizations with the necessary resources to start the recovery process.

“It’s great to have DSA teams out in the communities where they can help connect the dots between survivors and assistance that may be available for them,” said State Coordinating Officer and OEM Deputy Director Michelann Ooten.

The teams offer survivors registration assistance; up-to-date information on their application status; on-the-spot needs assessment; and referrals to help fill any outstanding needs.

“These teams are here to help,” said Federal Coordinating Officer John Long. “They will all be carrying FEMA badges and may ask for some critical information to help speed your case along.”

The DSA teams may request the following information:

•    A phone number where you can be reached;
•    Your social security number;
•    Your current mailing address;
•    The address of the affected property;
•    A brief description of the damages; and
•    Insurance information including your policy number.

DSA teams are currently visiting neighborhoods and businesses in Cleveland, Grady and Oklahoma counties.

When DSA teams arrive at a home, business or any other organization, they will display official photo identification. If the photo identification is not displayed, it is important to ask to see it. This helps prevent fraudulent activities.

Additionally, survivors can apply for state and federal assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or web-enabled device at m.fema.gov. People may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362.

For more information on Oklahoma disaster recovery, click http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4222  or visit OEM at www.oem.ok.gov.   

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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.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) prepares for, responds to, recovers from and mitigates against emergencies and disasters. The department delivers service to Oklahoma cities, towns and counties through a network of more than 350 local emergency managers.

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. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.