Disaster recovery continues as federal and state officials and agencies work with local officials to improve living conditions for area residents.
During a town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Bennie Thompson on April 13 at the Zion District Building in Winona, officials from the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) took questions from local residents and provided information on how everyone in Carroll and Montgomery counties affected by the March 24 storms can obtain assistance.
They all encouraged victims to either go to the Disaster Recovery Center at the J.Z. George gym in North Carrollton or the Disaster Recovery Center at the Montgomery County Coliseum in Winona to register for assistance.
Center hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Help is being made available in various forms, including Allowance Assistance Cards from FEMA, Client Assistance Cards from the Red Cross, funding for housing – whether hotel or personal homes, and money to assist with automobile repair or replacement.
“We want to distribute FEMA resources to you,” said John Boyle, FEMA Federal Coordinating officer. “We can’t make you whole. The amount of money we give you is the beginning of recovery.”
Homeowners and renters can apply for FEMA assistance by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov; call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week; or use the FEMA App for smartphones to apply.
Boyle said it is extremely important for everyone applying for assistance to have documents, such as a bill with their name and address showing they occupy that particular dwelling and insurance information when they register to help them receive assistance and recover faster.
Each of the recovery representatives encouraged everyone attending the meeting to fill out their registration completely, providing all needed information.
Boyle said if an affected person receives a letter stating, “You have been denied,” go to a Disaster Recovery Center and speak with a representative who can tell them what information is necessary for approval.
John Brown with the Red Cross encouraged people to apply for immediate assistance. The deadline for the DSNAP, which is available to everyone affected by the storm, is April 21.
People interested in the program can register at the Winona Community House on Sterling Street.
Currently, the State and Red Cross are assisting 533 citizens with food and lodging in 37 hotels. Anyone in a disaster-declared county, including Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, Montgomery, Panola or Sharkey, still in need of shelter call 1-800-RedCross (733-2767), according to a statement released by Carroll County Emergency Management Director Ken Strachan.
As of April 17, the U.S. Small Business Administration and FEMA have approved more than $12 million to help Mississippi homeowners and renters recover from last month’s tornadoes.
There are five weeks left to apply for FEMA assistance; the deadline is May 25.
