Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams Visit Arkansas Communities

July 8, 2015

DR-4226-AR

FEMA News Desk: 501-399-4075

State Public Affairs: 501-683-6700

publicaffairs@ADEM.arkansas.gov

SBA: William Koontz 916-847-2346

Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams Visit Arkansas Communities

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – The residents of nine Arkansas counties included in a federal disaster declaration may see FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams in their communities, offering a personal link to the resources for recovery.

Using the latest mobile technology, DSA team members are there to help survivors register for disaster assistance; provide up-to-date information on applications; help determine ongoing needs; and make referrals to help fill any outstanding needs.

The DSA teams are there in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and local officials from the communities they visit. DSA team members carry FEMA photo IDs. If the photo ID is not displayed, ask to see it. This helps prevent fraud.

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 will visit Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian and Sevier counties.  Residents in those counties who suffered damage as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 7 to June 15, 2015 may be eligible for disaster assistance.

Registering for assistance with FEMA is an important first step toward recovering.  Registration is available 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.

Reasonable accomodations, including assistive technologies, may be available by calling the 800 number, or by making a request with a DSA team member.

Disaster assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

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 800-621-3362. For TTY, call 800-462-7585.

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.