Registering with State, Volunteer Agencies Not the Same as FEMA

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – Many Arkansas residents who suffered damage during the severe storms in late spring may have registered for assistance with state or volunteer agencies. This is not the same as registering with FEMA for disaster aid.

While FEMA, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and volunteer agencies often work together, their missions, programs and funding are not the same. Residents should register with FEMA for access to federal disaster assistance.

FEMA is funded by congress and administers disaster programs determined by federal officials and requested by the state.  Disaster declarations by the State of Arkansas provide some assistance based on state criteria, but that aid is “turned off” when a federal declaration is made to avoid duplicating benefits.

Volunteer agencies that provide individuals and families with immediate necessities and emergency services raise their funds publicly and determine their own programs.

The disaster declaration on June 26, 2015 put in place several sources of federal funding. It is available to residents in nine Arkansas counties affected by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 7 to June 15, 2015. The counties are Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in those counties can apply for federal assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362 (FEMA) or by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov.  Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Mulitilingual operators are available.

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.