JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency remind survivors who registered for disaster assistance to stay in touch with FEMA.

Especially important is updating contact information. Registrants may contact the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 to check the status of the application, find out about the appeal process, or provide insurance information after a settlement. Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability can call TTY 800-462-7585. Helpline hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Applicants who registered but who discover that their insurance has not covered all losses have up to a year to submit their insurance settlement to FEMA. FEMA help may be available for some items that insurance policies don’t cover.

Applicants receiving rental assistance or occupying a temporary housing unit are periodically required to recertify their need for continuing assistance. The registrant’s permanent housing plan should be kept current and any recertification forms received should be returned promptly.

Survivors should not hesitate to contact the FEMA helpline with questions or concerns about disaster assistance. Questions about the U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan application should be directed to SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.           

For more information on Mississippi disaster recovery, go to fema.gov/disaster/4175. Visit the MEMA site at msema.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/msemaorg.

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. 

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). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

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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