Applying and getting help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a long process. “It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon,” a FEMA representative told KOGT’s Gary Stelly Thursday during The Morning Show.
Ken Higginbotham of FEMA said Orange County at this time does not have a “Disaster Recovery Center” set up because local officials have not found locations. But late Thursday officials were close to announcing a site.
FEMA has Survivor Assistance Teams set up in Bridge City and Deweyville to help people file for help. The centers are at the Bridge City Community Center off West Roundbunch Road and the Deweyville Senior Citizens Center on Highway 87 North, south of the Highway 12 intersection.
Higginbotham said FEMA workers will help people who don’t have access to computers or phones fill out forms. They can also assist people who have been rejected for some reason get back into the system. He said everyone in Orange County can qualify because the county has been declared a disaster area.
Registration and your assigned FEMA number “is like a key that opens the door to many, many programs,” he said.
FEMA has had “disaster survivor teams” going door-to-door in the county. The representatives have iPads and can help a person file for help on the spot.
“The first step in the recovery process is to register,” he said.
Once a person is registered, it could take seven to 10 days for FEMA to contact them back. He said it could take a while. “Thousands and thousands of people in Texas were impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” he said.
A Disaster Recovery Center will be “like a one-stop shopping center,” Higginbotham said. Besides FEMA, representatives from the Small Business Adminstration (SBA) will be there to help people apply for low-interest loans. The loans will be available for homeowners and businesses. A loan can be extended through 30 years, but will need to be paid back.
The center will also be able to offer employment assistance for people affected by the storm. Employees who have lost pay or a job because of the disaster may qualify for special unemployment benefits.
In addition, the center will offer counseling for people dealing with the stress of dealing with the disaster.
Some people who have applied for FEMA have received a $500 deposit to their bank accounts. Higginbotham said the money is for emergency assistance to help a person, or family, get out of a flooded dwelling into a clean, safe, healthy place. If someone has been approved for the cash assistance, it could take a while to receive it.
FEMA benefits are not based on income, he said.
He said “everybody’s case is different” and people should not compare themselves to their neighbors with the benefits.
Higginbotham stressed that FEMA is to help people immediately after a disaster, not to return property to a pre-disaster condition.
When a center is set up, people should bring as many documentations, including photos and receipts, as possible for showing sustained damages. The documents can include a letter showing insurance denial.
Higginbotham said once a person is registered for FEMA, a contract building inspector will go to the dwelling. The inspectors, along with all FEMA personnel, will have identifications. He warned people to be wary of con artists acquiring a FEMA card and to be sure to check the ID.
If you find someone posing as being from FEMA, tell them to leave, he said. If possible, get a vehicle license number and report the license and incident to local law agencies. He said the state attorney general will prosecute them.
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