Hertford County Designated for Disaster Assistance

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina homeowners, renters and business owners in Hertford County, adversely affected by Hurricane Matthew and the flooding after, may apply for federal disaster assistance. The county was already designated for assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program. The county is now eligible for Individual Assistance, which will allow survivors to apply for grants and other assistance for damage and losses suffered.

Thirty-seven counties are already eligible to apply for assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual and Households Program: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Moore, Nash, Onslow, Pasquotank, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Wake, Washington, Wayne and Wilson.

Eligible storm damage and losses from the hurricane and flooding must have occurred beginning Oct. 4.

If you are a survivor, you are encouraged to register with FEMA as soon as possible, even if you have insurance. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, if you are underinsured, you may still receive help after your insurance claims have been settled.

 If you have phone and/or internet access, you may register in one of the following ways:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 for voice, 711 and Video Relay Service (VRS). If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585.
• Download the FEMA Mobile App and apply.

If you do not have access to telephone or internet service, don’t be discouraged. North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA are coming to you. Teams of NCEM and FEMA disaster survivor assistance specialists will soon be moving into affected communities to help you register for assistance.

You may be eligible for grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs.

Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance, and the loans do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

For more information on the North Carolina recovery visit fema.gov/disaster/4285  and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @ncemergency.

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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 800-621-3362 or TTY at 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. Follow FEMA on twitter at @femaregion4. Download the FEMA app with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and after disasters.

Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 to speak with a trained call specialist about questions you have regarding Hurricane Matthew; the service is free, confidential and available in any language. They can help direct you to resources. Call 5-1-1 or 877-511-4662 for the latest road conditions or check the ReadyNC mobile app, which also has real-time shelter and evacuation information. For updates on Hurricane Matthew impacts and relief efforts, go to ReadyNC.org or follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit NCdisasterrelief.org or text NCRecovers to 30306.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations 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 Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.