If you suffered damage or losses from the June 22-29 severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides, you have less than three weeks left to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for federal disaster assistance. The deadline to register is Wednesday, Aug. 24. Individual disaster assistance grants for homeowners and renters are available to eligible residents of 12 counties: Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers, and Webster. Here is how to register: • Call 800-621-3362 (voice, 711 or video relay services) or 800-462-7585 for TTY users; • Go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov; • Visit your nearest Disaster Recovery Center. Find that center by calling 800-621-3362 or going online to www.fema.gov/drc. 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. You should register even if you have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but if you have losses insurance doesn’t cover, you may receive help from FEMA after your insurance claims are settled. To fully cover your losses, you may also need a low interest disaster loan. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides these loans, not just for small businesses, but also for renters, homeowners, businesses of any size and private nonprofits to cover uncompensated real or personal property losses. The deadline to apply for an SBA physical damage loan is the same as for FEMA assistance, Wednesday, Aug. 24. There is no fee to apply for a loan and you do not have to accept one even if it is offered.
