WINDSOR, Conn. – Hurricane Sandy survivors who have already registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are urged to keep in touch with the agency, especially if they have been displaced by the disaster.

Survivors who have registered for assistance should keep their contact information current to ensure timely delivery of important assistance updates.

Keeping one’s contact information current with FEMA will also help connect survivors with FEMA’s home inspectors. Unnecessary delays may occur if an inspector is unable to reach an applicant by phone to schedule an appointment. Applicants are also urged to keep their appointments with home inspectors in order to avoid delays.

Applicants who need to update their contact information or who have questions regarding their application can visit a Disaster Recovery Center for in-person help or call the toll-free FEMA helpline, 1-800-621-3362, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Help is available in most languages.

Storm survivors who have not registered yet are urged to do so immediately online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device, tablet or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to “Apply Online for FEMA Assistance.”

By calling the helpline or visiting a Disaster Recovery Center, survivors can:

• Update their file with a change of address or new phone number.
• Ask questions about disaster assistance.
• Track the progress of their FEMA application.
• Get information about the inspection process.
• Learn about the steps to appeal a FEMA decision.

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.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private nonprofit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and covers 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.

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.