West Virginians: There’s still time to register for help. Do it now!

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – If you were affected by the severe storms, landslides and mudslides that occurred June 22-29 and haven’t registered for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), why wait? Do it now!

Take the first step toward getting federal assistance. Don’t miss out! Once you register with FEMA, you may be eligible for a federal grant to help you with your recovery. You may also qualify for a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

If you haven’t registered yet and are a homeowner or renter with disaster-related damage in the designated counties, do it now before it’s too late.

Did you not register because:

• You simply didn’t know that FEMA offers help to homeowners and renters whose homes were damaged?

  • Once you register with FEMA you will learn about the help that may be available to you.

• You kept putting off registering because you were too busy and didn’t remember to register until the evening, and thought everything would be closed?

  • Registering is a very important first step to getting help. The FEMA helpline is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT every day of the week.

  • Or go online anytime to DisasterAssistance.gov.

• You are confused about the process of registering with FEMA?

  • FEMA is there to help you. Make the phone call (800-621-3362) or go online to the website (DisasterAssistance.gov). Ask questions and you will get answers.

• You thought talking with your county officials or the American Red Cross, or calling2-1-1 would automatically make you eligible for FEMA aid?

  • The only way for you to be eligible for federal help is for you, the homeowner, renter or as the business owner, to register with FEMA.

• You thought the damage to your property would not be eligible for federal help?

  • Let FEMA make the decision to determine if you qualify for federal assistance.

• You thought that since you already cleaned up and made repairs you couldn’t apply for assistance?

  • You can register with FEMA even after you make repairs. It is helpful to have photographs of the damage. It also helps if you keep all repair receipts.

• You thought others needed the federal aid more than you?

  • No one is denied aid because of someone else’s need. If you are eligible for assistance, FEMA will provide funds to help you start the recovery process.

• You thought you’d have to repay a FEMA grant?

  • FEMA assistance is a grant, not a loan. It does not have to be repaid. It is not subject to income tax.

• You thought that getting disaster assistance from FEMA would affect your government benefits, such as Social Security, Medicaid or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)?

  • You will not have to pay additional income taxes or see any reduction in your Social Security checks or any other federal benefits.

• You didn’t think you were eligible for FEMA help because you are not a U.S. citizen?

  • If you are in the United States legally or are the parent of a U.S. citizen in your household, you need not worry about applying for federal disaster assistance.

None of these reasons will prevent you from getting help from FEMA. Here’s what to do to get the correct information:

• Call the FEMA helpline (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362; (TTY users should call 800-462-7585). The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

• Go online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

• Visit a Disaster Recovery Center near you. To find the closest one, go to www.fema.gov/drc.

If you have questions about how you may qualify for a low-interest SBA disaster loan for homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes:

• Call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or 800-877-8339 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. 

Additional information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery can be found by calling the FEMA Helpline 800-621-3362 or visiting: www.DisasterAssistance.gov; the flood pages at www.WVflood.com; fema.gov/disaster/4273; twitter.com/femaregion3; and fema.gov/blog.