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.