JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and another local home improvement store are teaming up to provide Joplin area residents with free information, tips and literature to prevent and lessen damage from disasters.

FEMA mitigation specialists will be available between Thursday, February 18 and Tuesday, February 23 at the Lowe’s store in Neosho to answer questions and offer home improvement tips on making homes stronger and safer. Most of the information is geared toward do-it-yourself work and general contractors.

Location:

• Lowe’s at 1490 Clemon Drive, Neosho, MO 64850 (Newton County)

Times:

• Thursday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Monday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Tuesday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mitigation teams will also have free reference booklets on protecting your home from flood damage. More information about strengthening property can be found at www.fema.gov/what-mitigation.

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For breaking news about flood recovery, follow FEMA Region 7 on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion7 and turn on mobile notifications or visit the FEMA webpages dedicated to this disaster at www.fema.gov/disaster/4250.

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.

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).

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.