Arkansas Storm Survivors Urged to Register for Federal Disaster Assistance

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – State and federal officials are encouraging Arkansas residents in the 11 counties hardest hit by the severe storms of late 2015 – January, 2016 to register for disaster assistance with FEMA as soon as possible.

Residents of Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Faulkner, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Little River, Perry, Sebastian and Sevier counties that suffered damage from the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding Dec. 26, 2015 – January 22, 2016 may be eligible for federal disaster assistance.

The first step is to register. To do so:

•    Call 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
•    Go to www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

The toll free telephone lines operate from 7 a.m.to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week.

 “It is important to register with FEMA even though you may have contacted other agencies or volunteer organizations in your area,” said Scott Bass of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. “Keep clear records and receipts of any repairs and take photos if possible.”

To speed the registration process, have the following readily available:

•    A current phone number where you can be contacted;
•    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where they are now staying;
•    Your Social Security number, if available;
•    A general list of damages and losses; and
•    If insured, the insurance policy number, or the agent and company name.

Federal disaster assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover underinsured or uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.     

Disaster recovery loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available for businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private nonprofit organizations, as well as homeowners and renters. Call the SBA at 1-800-659-2955 or visit the website at: www.sba.gov/disaster.

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.

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.