Individuals in six additional Missouri counties are eligible to apply for federal help due to flooding and severe storms this year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Missouri’s request to expand a disaster declaration to include Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton and Saline counties. The action makes individual support available to eligible Missourians for things like temporary housing, repairs, low-interest disaster loans, moving and storage, and the replacement of household items.
Residents in six more Missouri counties eligible to apply for federal aid
In a press release, Gov. Mike Parson says the move is welcome news for Missouri homeowners and renters who are working hard to recover and rebuild.
“FEMA assistance to individuals has sent nearly $5 million to help more than 1,000 Missouri families since the disaster was first declared on July 9. The extension of the disaster to these six additional counties means more people will receive important financial assistance. We urge eligible residents to apply for assistance now,” says Parson.
Parson and western Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver held a meeting last week in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs to urge FEMA to approve this request.
FEMA disaster aid to eligible individuals generally falls into these categories:
• Housing Support may be available for up to 18 months for displaced homeowners or renters whose primary residences received major damage or were destroyed. Funding also can be provided for housing repairs and replacement of damaged items to make homes habitable.
• Other Needs Assistance may be available for other disaster-related expenses, including essential household items, moving and storage, vehicles, medical and dental, child care, funeral and burial, and some clean-up items not covered by insurance and other assistance programs.
• Low-Interest Disaster Loans are available after a disaster for homeowners and renters from the U.S. Small Business Administration to cover uninsured property losses. Loans may be available for repair or replacement of homes, automobiles, clothing, or other damaged personal property. Loans are also available to businesses for property loss and economic injury.
• Other Disaster Assistance Programs include crisis counseling, disaster-related unemployment assistance, disaster case management, and legal advice and assistance including income tax, housing issues, consumer protection, Social Security, and veterans’ benefits.
Those affected by the flooding or severe storms are encouraged to continue to document losses, including photographing damage and retaining receipts. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is working with FEMA to identify new locations where FEMA will operate Disaster Recovery Centers to assist survivors with answers to their questions and help with registering for assistance. However, there is no need to wait to register. Disaster survivors are encouraged to register online or by calling FEMA. The deadline for most Individual Assistance programs is 60 days after the disaster has been declared by the President.
Residents can register by going to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you use a TTY, dial 1-800-462-7585.
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