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Disaster Assistance Teams Helping Mississippi Storm Survivors in Three Newly Designated Counties

OXFORD, Miss. – State and federal disaster survivor assistance teams are now working in three more Mississippi counties, helping residents recover from destructive tornadoes, severe storms and flooding in late December.

The teams are made up of disaster specialists from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They are canvassing neighborhoods in Monroe, Panola and Prentiss counties, which were designated for disaster assistance last week.

Affected survivors in Monroe and Prentiss counties can also visit applicant service centers now open at the:

Chancery Clerk Building (across from the courthouse), 110 N. Main St., Booneville, MS 38829;
The Becker Community Center, 52246 Highway 25 South, Amory, MS 38821.

Survivors in Panola County can visit the disaster recovery center in neighboring Quitman County, which is located at the Marks Fire Department, 108 W. Main St., Marks, MS 38646 or any other center in a county designated for assistance after the December storms.

The teams can register survivors and electronically submit a request for federal assistance. Team members can be easily identified by photo identification and FEMA or MEMA clothing. Mississippi residents are encouraged to ask for official identification before providing personal information.

Federal disaster assistance for qualified applicants may include:

Grants to rent a temporary place to live, as needed.
Grants for essential home repairs not covered by insurance.
Grants for disaster-related needs not covered by insurance — such as medical, dental, transportation, funeral expenses, moving and storage fees, personal property loss and child care.
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.

In addition to the registration opportunity offered by recovery teams, survivors can register for assistance by the following methods:

Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov with a computer, tablet, iPhone, Android or other mobile device.
Calling 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585 for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362 to register.
Business owners can find an electronic loan application on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Questions can be answered by calling the SBA disaster customer service center at 800-659-2955/ (TTY) 800-877-8339 or visiting sba.gov.

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All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).

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.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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Disaster Assistance Teams Helping Mississippi Storm Survivors in Three Newly Designated Counties

FEMA Representatives Visit Missouri Neighborhoods

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Residents of 33 Missouri counties who have been affected by the recent severe storms and flooding may soon see Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams and home inspectors in their neighborhoods.

Those counties are: Barry, Barton, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maries, McDonald, Morgan, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster, and Wright counties.

The DSA teams offer survivors registration assistance, up-to-date information on their application status, on-the-spot needs assessments and referrals to help fill any outstanding needs. Following an individual assistance disaster declaration, FEMA provides this mobile resource to help connect homeowners, business owners and faith-based and community organizations with the necessary resources to start the recovery process.

Home inspectors will also be in the field verifying damages for those who have applied for federal assistance. Inspectors will contact homeowners and renters to schedule a time to meet to verify flood damages that occurred December 23, 2015 through January 9, 2016.

Inspectors are contractors who will display official photo identification. If the photo identification is not displayed, it is important to ask to see it. This helps prevent fraudulent activities.

Individuals or business owners that apply for a disaster loan with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) may also be contacted by a loss verifier who will inspect the damaged property.

Residents who were affected can apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. The application deadline is March 21.

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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-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

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FEMA Representatives Visit Missouri Neighborhoods

Three Mississippi Counties Designated for Individual Assistance After December Storms

OXFORD, Miss. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has amended a recent disaster declaration for severe storms in December in order to make survivors in Monroe, Panola and Prentiss counties eligible for its Individual Assistance program.

Survivors who sustained disaster-related losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by calling 800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired should call 800-462-7585 (TTY); those who use 711 or Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until further notice.

Survivors can also apply by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov using a computer, tablet, iPhone, Android or other mobile device.

Benton, Coahoma, Marshall, Tippah and Quitman counties were previously designated by the presidential declaration on Jan. 4.

Individual Assistance can include money for temporary housing and essential home repairs for primary homes, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help survivors recover from the effects of the disaster.

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Three Mississippi Counties Designated for Individual Assistance After December Storms

President Declares Disaster for State of Alabama

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Alabama to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of December 23-31, 2015.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding in Autauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Perry, Pike, Russell, St. Clair, Walker, and Winston counties.

Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire State of Alabama.

Elizabeth Turner has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Turner said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.

Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only.

FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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President Declares Disaster for State of Alabama

Federal Aid Programs for the State of Missouri

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s disaster declaration issued for the State of Missouri.

Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families Can Include as Required:

Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs. (Source: FEMA funded at 75 percent of total eligible costs; 25 percent funded by the state.)
Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for state benefits, such as self-employed individuals. (Source: FEMA funded; state administered.)
Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance. Loans available up to $200,000 for primary residence; $40,000 for personal property, including renter losses. Loans available up to $2 million for business property losses not fully compensated by insurance. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
Loans up to $2 million for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster’s adverse economic impact. This loan in combination with a property loss loan cannot exceed a total of $2 million. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
Loans up to $500,000 for farmers, ranchers and aquaculture operators to cover production and property losses, excluding primary residence. (Source: Farm Service Agency, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.)
Other relief programs: Crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; advisory assistance for legal, veterans’ benefits and social security matters.

How to Apply for Assistance:

Affected individuals and business owners in designated areas can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). 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. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and 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.

Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/media-library and www.youtube.com/fema; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.

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Federal Aid Programs for the State of Missouri

President Declares Major Disaster for Missouri

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Missouri to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of December 23, 2015 to January 9, 2016.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Barry, Barton, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maries, McDonald, Morgan, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster, and Wright counties.

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.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Michael L. Parker has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Parker said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). 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.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only.

FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Continued here:

President Declares Major Disaster for Missouri

Help Remains Available After Disaster Recovery Center Closes in Lexington County

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A disaster recovery center in Lexington County will close Friday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m.:

Irmo Library, 6251 St. Andrews Road, Columbia

Many services available at disaster recovery centers are also available by calling the FEMA helpline. Survivors of Oct. 1-23 storms and flooding in Lexington County can get help by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585; those who use 711/VRS can call 800-621-3362. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Survivors can use the helpline to:

Ask questions about FEMA decision letters.
Learn how to appeal FEMA decision letters. All applicants may appeal.
Inquire about the status of a registration.
Provide change of address, telephone and bank account numbers and insurance information to avoid disaster assistance processing delays.
Receive information about FEMA home inspections.
Get other questions answered about federal disaster assistance.

Applicants should have their nine-digit FEMA registration number and zip code if they want to discuss their application.

Survivors may still visit other recovery centers to ask disaster assistance questions. They can locate the closest center by visiting asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm.

Representatives from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration and other agencies are at centers to answer questions about disaster assistance and low-interest loans.

For the latest information on South Carolina flood recovery operations, visit scemd.org and fema.gov/disaster/4241.

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Help Remains Available After Disaster Recovery Center Closes in Lexington County

Beware: Disaster Recovery is Fertile Ground for Fraud and Scam Artists

AUSTIN, Texas – State and federal recovery officials encourage Texas residents to watch for and report any suspicious activity or potential fraud from scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals who may try to prey on survivors vulnerable due to the October severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not endorse any commercial businesses, products or services. FEMA encourages survivors to be especially vigilant for these common post-disaster fraud practices:

• Fraudulent building contractors. When hiring a contractor:

o Use licensed local contractors backed by reliable references.

o Demand that contractors carry general liability insurance and workers’ compensation.

o Don’t pay more than half the costs of repairs upfront.

• Bogus pleas for post-disaster donations: Unscrupulous solicitors may play on the emotions of disaster survivors. Disaster aid solicitations may arrive by phone, email, letter or face-to-face visits.

o Verify legitimate solicitations by asking for the charity’s exact name, street address, phone number and Web address, then phone the charity directly and confirm that the person asking for funds is an employee or volunteer.

o Don’t pay donations with cash.

o Request a receipt with the charity’s name, street address, phone number.

• Fake offers of state or federal aid:

o Beware of visits, calls or e-mails — claiming to be from FEMA or the State of Texas — asking for an applicant’s Social Security number, bank account number or other sensitive information. Avoid scam artists who promise a disaster grant and ask for large cash deposits or advance payments in full.

o Federal and state workers do not solicit or accept money. FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration staff never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications.

• Phony housing inspectors: Homeowners and registered FEMA applicants may be vulnerable to phony housing inspectors claiming to represent FEMA or the SBA.

o Inspectors have each applicant’s nine-digit registration number. FEMA inspectors NEVER require banking or other personal information.

o The job of FEMA housing inspectors is to verify damage. Inspectors do not hire or endorse specific contractors to fix homes or recommend repairs. They do not determine eligibility for assistance.

If you suspect fraud, call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721. If you are the victim of a home repair scam or price gouging, call the Office of the Texas Attorney General at 800-252-8011. Texas homeowners and renters who register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), prior to the Jan. 25 deadline, are encouraged by recovery officials to “stay in touch.” Survivors changing their address or phone numbers should update that information with FEMA. Missing or erroneous information could result in delays getting a home inspection or in receiving assistance.

Survivors with questions regarding the application or the appeals process, or who need to register for assistance may visit online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (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. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4245, Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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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.

Visit www.fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation for publications and reference material on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger.

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Beware: Disaster Recovery is Fertile Ground for Fraud and Scam Artists

Texas Storm Survivors Should ‘Stay in Touch’ with FEMA

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas homeowners and renters who have registered for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are encouraged by recovery officials to “stay in touch,” even after the Jan. 25 application deadline.

Applicants changing their addresses or phone numbers should update that information with FEMA. Missing or erroneous information could result in delays getting a home inspection or in receiving assistance.

FEMA has provided two ways for homeowners and renters to update their information:

Log on to the FEMA website at DisasterAssistance.gov to upload documents, and
Call the toll-free FEMA Helpline (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

When updating status information, callers should refer to the nine-digit number issued at registration. This number is on all correspondence applicants receive from FEMA and is a key identifier in tracking assistance requests.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4245, Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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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.

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Texas Storm Survivors Should ‘Stay in Touch’ with FEMA

President Obama Signs Emergency Declaration for Michigan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the State of Michigan to supplement state and local response efforts in the area affected by contaminated water beginning on April 25, 2014, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts that have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Genesee County.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. This emergency assistance is to provide water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other necessary related items for a period of no more than 90 days.

Additionally, the President offered assistance in identifying other Federal agency capabilities that could support the recovery effort but do not require an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act.

David G. Samaniego has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal response operations in the affected area.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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President Obama Signs Emergency Declaration for Michigan

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