Residents Urged to Register for Disaster Assistance, Report Damage

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansans in Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Faulkner, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Little River, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier counties who sustained uninsured or underinsured damage by the late winter storms, winds, and flooding can now apply for assistance from the state of Arkansas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Both state and federal recovery officials are encouraging any resident of Arkansas who sustained damage as a result of these storms to register with FEMA to report their loss from the winter storm.  Other counties may become eligible for disaster assistance if warranted by these damage reports.

Individuals and business owners can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

FEMA Individual Assistance specialists in Arkansas are working side-by-side with their state counterparts to assist residents’ recovery efforts. Arkansans are urged to be practical, proactive and realistic during their recovery from the recent storms and tornadoes.

Arkansas and FEMA officials offer these tips and strategies for individuals facing new post-disaster realities:

• Don’t wait. Applicants should contact their insurance agents as soon as possible;
• Federal disaster assistance covers basic needs only. It normally will not compensate individuals for their entire loss;
• A low-cost disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a major source of long-term recovery funding for both individuals with home damage and small businesses.  For FEMA applicants, disaster loan applications from the SBA must be completed and returned. No one will be forced to accept a loan he or she does not want, but the information on the application is needed to determine eligibility for all federal assistance.

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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 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.