If you were affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding which began in February, the last day to register for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. You are eligible to apply if you live in Clay, Humphreys, Issaquena, Lowndes, Monroe, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo counties.
If your friends experienced damage related to last February’s storms, they may have misconceptions about federal disaster assistance and may assume they are not eligible.
- FEMA assistance is not just for homeowners. Renters who lost personal property or were displaced may be eligible for assistance.
- Even if you have insurance, you may be eligible for grants to cover uninsured losses.
- FEMA assistance does not affect benefits you may be receiving from other federal programs, such as Social Security, food stamps or Medicaid.
- FEMA provides grants; it does not make loans. These grants do not have to be repaid and they are not considered taxable income.
- You may be eligible for assistance for repairs to your home, even if the repairs are already completed.
- FEMA is an agency of the federal government. Funding is available to assist all eligible survivors with their eligible disaster-related needs. A grant you may receive does not take away from another survivor’s assistance.
FEMA grants may cover expenses for temporary housing, home repairs, replacement of damaged personal property and other storm- and flood-related needs.
It’s easy to register with FEMA; the process usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Even if you are unsure of your eligibility, you can apply by visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585), 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (ET). Multilingual operators are available. The deadline to register is Nov. 19.
