Survivors of the June 22-29 floods, severe storms, landslides and mudslides are finding a wealth of useful information at a Disaster Recovery Center (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. Beginning July 17, centers will be open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m.-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.-11 p.m. seven days a week. Video Relay Service (VRS) or 711 users may call 800-462-7585. Greenbrier County DRCs are located in White Sulphur Springs at the Southeastern Labor Council, AFL-CIO, building at 65 West Main Street; and in Rainelle at Rainelle Town Hall, 201 Kanawha Avenue. 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. It is important to note that applying for an SBA disaster loan can be the first step toward receiving more FEMA funding: it a loan is declined, applicants are then pipelined into an new avenue for FEMA funding.
