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Third DRC Opens in Nicholas County

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Nicholas County now has three Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) with the July 15 opening of the latest center.

The newest center is located at the Birch River Elementary School, 379 Birch River Rd., Birch River, W.Va. 26610.

Survivors of the June 22-29 floods, severe storms, landslides and mudslides are finding a wealth of useful information at a DRC to assist their recovery from the disaster. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), various state agencies, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff the centers, giving you a chance to discover what programs are available to help you, and to get your questions answered.

Weather permitting, all recovery centers currently are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Beginning July 17, centers will be open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays. To locate the closest center, you can visit http://go.usa.gov/x3NnJ or download the FEMA App to your mobile device. Before visiting a center, you can register with FEMA by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362. Operators are multilingual and answer calls from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Video Relay Service (VRS) or 711 users may call 800-462-7585.

The other centers are:

Clay County

Clay County High School, 1 Panther Dr., Clay WV 25043

Fayette County

Midland Trail High School, 26719 Midland Trail, Hico, WV 25854

Greenbrier County

Mobile Disaster Recovery Center, Southeastern Labor Council, AFL-CIO, 65 West Main St., White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986

Greenbrier County

Town Hall, 201 Kanawha Ave., Rainelle, WV 25962

Kanawha County

Kanawha County School Operations Center, 3300 Pennsylvania Ave.,

Charleston, WV 25302

Kanawha County

Tent in parking lot across from Dollar General Store, 120 Maywood Ave., W., Clendenin, WV 25045

Lincoln County

Morrisville Fire Department Substation, 2508 Straight Fork Rd., Alkol, WV 25501

Monroe County

Alderson Senior Center, 317 Monroe St., Alderson, WV 24910

Nicholas County

City of Richwood City Hall, 6 White Ave., Richwood, WV 26261

Nicholas County

Nicholas County High School, 30 Grizzly Ln., Summersville, WV 26651

Pocahontas County

McClintic Public Library, 500 8^th St., Marlinton, WV 24954

Roane County

Geary Elementary School, 9538 Clay Rd., Left Hand, WV 2521

Summers County

Summers County Memorial Building Gym, 451 1^st Av. Hinton, WV 25951

Webster County

Webster Springs Municipal Building, City Council Room, 143 McGraw Ave., Webster Springs, WV 26288

Registering with FEMA is the first step towards qualifying for disaster assistance which may include grants to help homeowners and renters pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacements and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

SBA offers low-interest disaster loans for businesses of all sizes, homeowners, renters and private non-profit organizations. SBA disaster loans may cover repairs, rebuilding, as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.

For more information about SBA loans, call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster. TTY users can call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also 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 visiting fema.gov/disaster/4273, twitter.com/FEMA, fema.gov/blog and www.twitter.com/femaregion3.

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Third DRC Opens in Nicholas County

Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $51 Million for May-June Storms and Flooding

AUSTIN, Texas—More than $51 million in federal disaster assistance to date is helping fuel the recovery for households and businesses in 24 Texas counties hit hard by the May-June storms and flooding.

As of July 13, nearly $28.4 million was approved in FEMA household assistance grants for eligible applicants to repair damaged homes and pay for temporary housing. An additional $4.5 million was approved to cover other essential needs including personal property, disaster-related dental and medical expenses, transportation and child care.

Some 4,911 households in 24 designated counties were approved for FEMA assistance. The designated counties are Austin, Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Eastland, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Hidalgo, Hood, Kleberg, Lee, Liberty, Montgomery, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Jacinto, Stephens, Travis, Tyler, Waller and Washington.

The U.S. Small Business Administration approved 328 businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters for low-interest disaster loans totaling nearly $18.5 million.

“FEMA and the SBA have been working with our state and local partners to help families and communities get back on their feet,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William J. Doran III, who is in charge of FEMA’s operations in Texas. “But we can only assist you if you have registered with FEMA.”

Individuals who had disaster-related damage or losses between May 26 and June 24 and who live or work in the 24 eligible counties have until Wednesday, Aug. 10, to register for FEMA assistance.

Applying for disaster assistance is essentially a two-step process, which ensures consideration for all FEMA programs and the U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans. First, register with FEMA, then complete the no-obligation SBA loan application, if one is offered. There is no charge to apply for the loan and if approved, no obligation to accept it.

Disaster survivors may register the following ways:

online at DisasterAssistance.gov
phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
at a disaster recovery center. To find the nearest one, go online to the disaster recovery center locator at asd.fema.gov/inter/locator.

FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Survivors should register even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.

A free multilingual guide to the types of assistance available can be found at fema.gov/help-after-disaster.

For more information on the Texas recovery, visit the disaster webpage for the May-June storms at fema.gov/disaster/4272; or visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at txdps.state.tx.us/dem. Follow FEMA on Twitter @femaregion6.

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Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $51 Million for May-June Storms and Flooding

Disaster Assistance tops $28 million for West Virginia storm survivors

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Disaster assistance grants approved for homeowners and renters affected by last month’s severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, has reached more than $28 million, less than three weeks after President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for West Virginia.

That total includes more than $24.2 million in housing assistance and more than $4.3 million in other needs assistance. More than 6,900 households and businesses have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to date. Disaster assistance may include grants to help homeowners and renters pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacement, and serious disaster-related needs.

During the same period, one of FEMA’s partners in disaster recovery, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved 55 low-interest disaster loans to businesses, homeowners and renters, totaling just over $3 million. SBA disaster loans may cover repairs, rebuilding, as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.

Federal disaster assistance is now available to residents of 12 counties: Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers, and Webster. FEMA-contracted housing inspectors have completed more than 5,400 inspections of disaster-damaged properties to verify damage. There are currently 32 inspectors in the field.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages all survivors who sustained disaster-related damage or losses to apply 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.

In support of the State of West Virginia, FEMA has deployed 15 teams of Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) personnel to canvass storm-damaged neighborhoods. DSA workers are equipped to register survivors with FEMA and answer their questions about disaster assistance.

The State and FEMA have opened 14 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) and one Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (MDRC) in the affected area. The centers report 3,319 visitors to date. DRCs currently are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Other help available to individuals:

An easy-to-use DRC Locator is available at http://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm
For those who lost work as a result of the storms, Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available. For more information, visit Work Force West Virginia at workforcewv.org
Free disaster legal assistance is available to West Virginia storm survivors. This service offers counseling on insurance claims, landlord-tenant issues, home-repair contracts, the replacement of legal documents destroyed by the storm and other legal matters. Call the toll-free hotline 877-331-4279.

Disaster assistance grants from FEMA are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, food stamps and several other programs. Disaster grants are just that—grants that do not have to be paid back to the government.

For more information about SBA loans, call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster. TTY users may call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also 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 visiting fema.gov/disaster/4273, twitter.com/femaregion3, twitter.com/FEMA, facebook.com/FEMA, fema.gov/blog and the flood information pages at http://wvflood.com/Pages/default.aspx

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Disaster Assistance tops $28 million for West Virginia storm survivors

What Texans Are Asked When Applying for FEMA Assistance

AUSTIN, Texas—Residents of 24 Texas counties affected by storms and flooding that occurred in May and June are encouraged to register with FEMA for federal disaster assistance. Having the information they need ready when they call or go online to register will speed the process.

Applicants will be asked for the following information:

Social Security number
address of the damaged primary residence
description of the damage
information about insurance coverage
a current contact telephone number
an address where they can receive mail
a bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds

Eligible individuals and households of the 24 declared counties have until Aug. 10 to apply for assistance for damage that occurred between May 26 and June 24.

The affected counties are Austin, Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Eastland, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Hidalgo, Hood, Kleberg, Lee, Liberty, Montgomery, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Jacinto, Stephens, Travis, Tyler, Waller and Washington.

Applying for disaster assistance is essentially a two-step process, which ensures consideration for all FEMA programs and the U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans. First, register with FEMA, then complete and return the no-obligation SBA loan application, if one is offered. There is no charge to apply for the loan and if approved, no obligation to accept it.

Disaster survivors may register the following ways:

online at DisasterAssistance.gov
phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
at a disaster recovery center. To find the nearest one, go online to the disaster recovery center locator at asd.fema.gov/inter/locator.

FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Survivors should register even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.

A free multilingual guide to the types of assistance available can be found at fema.gov/help-after-disaster.

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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.

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What Texans Are Asked When Applying for FEMA Assistance

FEMA offers advice on repairing, rebuilding at local Lowe’s stores

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — As West Virginians repair or rebuild their homes damaged by last month’s storms, floods, landslides and mudslides, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local Lowe’s Home Improvement stores have teamed up to provide free information, tips and literature on making homes stronger and safer.

FEMA mitigation specialists will be on hand, this week and next, at in-store information centers in five area locations to answer questions and offer home improvement tips and proven methods to prevent and lessen damage from future disasters. Most of the information is geared for do-it-yourself work and general contractors.

FEMA advisors will be available at:

LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT

Cabel County
700 Mall Rd.
Barboursville, WV 25504
7 a.m. – 7 p.m. July 14–19.

Fayette County
46 Fayette Town Center Rd.
Fayetteville, WV 25840
7 a.m. – 7 p.m. July 14–19.

Kanawha County
1000 Nitro Marketplace
Cross Lanes, WV 25313
7 a.m. – 7 p.m. July 14–19.

Nicholas County
5200 W. Webster Rd.
Summersville, WV 26651
7 a.m. – 7 p.m. July 14–19.

Free reference booklets, in English and Spanish, with information on protecting your home from flood damage, will be available at all locations. More information about strengthening property can be found at fema.gov/what-mitigation.

West Virginians who have questions about their flood insurance policies and coverage should contact the National Flood Insurance Program call center at 800-621-3362 (Option 2) between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday. Specialists can help service claims, provide general information regarding policies, and offer technical assistance to aid in recovery.

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FEMA offers advice on repairing, rebuilding at local Lowe’s stores

“How can I help?” – some answers for West Virginians who want to make a difference for disaster recovery

Charleston, W.Va.– In the face of disaster, the people of West Virginia have come together with courage and compassion to ask “How can I help?”

The main needs now are cash donations and volunteers.

Although there has been an outpouring of financial support already to help flood survivors more is needed. Cash donations enable nonprofit organizations to purchase what disaster survivors need most. Buying the items from local businesses helps the economy recover. No gift is too small.

West Virginians and people from throughout the nation have donated thousands of hours of labor to help the many affected folks who are elderly, disabled, living on fixed incomes or otherwise overwhelmed by the flood’s after effects. But more volunteers are needed.

There are many organizations that need donations and are looking for volunteers and at least two comprehensive groups focused on West Virginia flood recovery. The West Virginia Chapter of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (WVVOAD) represents dozens of faith-based, community, nonprofit and non-governmental organizations active in flood response and recovery. wvflood is a new website updated by Volunteer West Virginia, the state’s Commission for National and Community Service, in partnership with WV VOAD with the support of the Office of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Anyone who can make a cash donation or volunteer may do so at the WVVOAD or wvflood websites.

Unfortunately, disasters tend to attract con artists who will take advantage of well meaning people. Donate to legitimate national or local organizations. Beware of solicitations to help survivors from people or groups who may sound sincere but you haven’t verified. If you are unsure or uncomfortable about the intentions of anyone you encounter, please contact local law enforcement. If you suspect fraud please call the West Virginia consumer protection hotline 800-368-8808.

Finally, be ready to stick around for the long haul. The work of recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be a need for donations and volunteers to help West Virginia recover for many months, even years, to come.

Even if you’re not ready to take any action at this time, you may find recovery information and survivors can find out about and ask for assistance by visiting either of the websites:

#wvflood http://wvflood.com/about/Pages/default.aspx

or VOAD https://wvvoad.communityos.org/cms/

Additional information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery can be found by visiting fema.gov/disaster/4273, twitter.com/femaregion3, twitter.com/FEMA and fema.gov/blog.

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“How can I help?” – some answers for West Virginians who want to make a difference for disaster recovery

Appeals and Comments on Revised Preliminary Flood Maps for St. Bernard Parish Ends Soon

DENTON, Texas – Homeowners, renters and business owners are encouraged to review revised preliminary flood maps for St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Anyone who wishes to file an appeal or comment has until Aug. 10, 2016, for submission.

“We hope that everyone reviews the maps to understand the flood risks involved,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “It is also very important that we receive the public’s input on these maps.”

Appeals are formal objections and must be based on technical data showing proposed maps to be scientifically incorrect. Appeal topics include: Proposed base flood elevations or flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundaries and zones, or floodways. Anyone making an appeal must include the method, data and analysis used to support the claim.

Comments are objections to a base map feature change. Those feature changes could include labels, incorrect road names or jurisdictional boundaries, or any other non-appealable change.

The public can provide comments and appeals to their local floodplain administrator, who will forward them to FEMA for final resolution.

The maps can be viewed at the parish floodplain administrator’s office, or by:

•   Viewing the preliminary flood map at: http://maps.riskmap6.com/LA/StBernard/
•   Using a live chat service about flood maps at go.usa.gov/r6C, just click on the “Live Chat” icon;
•    Contacting a FEMA Map Specialist at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) or FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.

The next step is the resolution of all the comments and appeals. When that is complete, FEMA will notify communities of the effective date of the final maps.

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Appeals and Comments on Revised Preliminary Flood Maps for St. Bernard Parish Ends Soon

FEMA Offers Advice for Texans on Lessening Storm Damage

AUSTIN, Texas – A team of specialists from FEMA will visit Lowe’s in Fort Bend County July 14-19 to offer tips and techniques to lessen the impact of disaster-related property damage.

Specialists will be available at the following location:

Where:
Lowe’s, 28005 Southwest Freeway, Rosenberg TX 77471

When:
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 14-15

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 16-17

7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, July 18

7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 19

FEMA Mitigation specialists will be on hand to answer questions and offer home improvement tips to reduce damage in future disasters. Information is geared to both do-it-yourselfers and general contractors.

Booklets are available in both English and Spanish on protecting your home from flood damage and other natural disasters. If you need an accommodation to access Braille or large print, please let our representatives know. American Sign Language interpreters can be available, if requested, by calling Everett Sedgwick at 202-870-4129. More information on how to strengthen homes, businesses and communities can be found at fema.gov/what-mitigation and fema.gov/texas-disaster-mitigation.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has a call center to answer policyholder questions, service claims, provide general information and offer technical assistance. To speak with a flood insurance specialist, call 800-621-3362 (FEMA) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster webpage for the May storms at fema.gov/disaster/4272, or visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at dps.texas.gov/dem/. Follow us on Twitter @femaregion6.

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FEMA Offers Advice for Texans on Lessening Storm Damage

Lincoln County DRC opens

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The latest Disaster Recovery Center opens in Lincoln County beginning July 8 to provide assistance to survivors of the June 22 severe storms, floods, landslides and mudslides.

The center is located at the Morrisville Fire Department Substation, 2508 Straight Fork Rd., Alkol, WV 25501. It is the twelfth center to open in West Virginia.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), various state agencies, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff the centers, giving survivors a chance to discover what programs are available to them, and to get their questions answered.

Weather permitting, all recovery centers are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. To locate the closest center, survivors can either visit http://go.usa.gov/x3NnJ or download the FEMA App to their mobile device. Before visiting a center, survivors can register with FEMA by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362. Video Relay Service (VRS) or 711 users can call 800-462-7585.

The other centers are:

Clay County

Clay County High School

1 Panther Dr.

Clay, WV 25043

Fayette County

Midland Trail High School

26719 Midland Trail

Hico, WV 25854

Greenbrier County

Mobile Disaster Recovery Center

Southeastern Labor Council, AFL-CIO

65 West Main St.

White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986

Town Hall

201 Kanawha Ave.

Rainelle, WV 25962

Kanawha County

Kanawha County School Operations Center

3300 Pennsylvania Ave.

Charleston, WV 25302

Nicholas County

City of Richwood City Hall
6 White Ave.

Richwood, WV 26261

Nicholas County High School

30 Grizzly Ln.

Summersville, WV 26651

Pocahontas County

McClintic Public Library

500 8th St.

Marlinton, WV 24954

Roane County

Geary Elementary School

9538 Clay Rd.

Left Hand, WV 25251

Summers County

Summers County Memorial Building Gym

451 1^st Ave.

Hinton, WV 25951

Webster County

Webster Springs Municipal Building

City Council Room

143 McGraw Ave.

Webster Springs, WV 26288

Additional information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery can be found by visiting fema.gov/disaster/4273, twitter.com/region3 and fema.gov/blog.

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Lincoln County DRC opens

West Virginia storm survivors should ‘stay in touch’ with FEMA

CHARLESTON, W. Va.– West Virginia 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” with the agency after they have applied for assistance.

Applicants changing their addresses or phone numbers – even if only temporarily – should update that information with FEMA. Missing or erroneous information could result in delays getting a home inspection or in receiving assistance. When registering with FEMA, it’s a good idea to provide a secondary contact phone number – both a cell phone and a landline number, for example.

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

Visit the FEMA website at DisasterAssistance.gov to upload documents.
Call the toll-free FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711 or relay service). 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 West Virginia recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4273, Twitter at www.twitter.com/region3 and the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at www.dhsem.wv.gov.

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West Virginia storm survivors should ‘stay in touch’ with FEMA

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