FEMA assisting storm survivors at DRC in Fayetteville

Jun. 16—The Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground in Fayette County for those in recovery mode from a confirmed tornado that devastated portions of the county in April.

Margaret Buckley, disaster recovery center manager at the FEMA DRC in the Fayette County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in Fayetteville, said the purpose of the DRC is to assist those who suffered from the EF2 tornado which ripped through portions of Fayette County on Tuesday, April 2.

Fayette and 10 other West Virginia counties were included in a major disaster declaration issued by President Joe Biden on May 22.

"We're here to assist them with home repairs, if they've been displaced, if they need housing assistance or rental assistance," Buckley said. "Also, we have disaster assistance loans that they may be eligible for. We also offer assistance with vehicles that were damaged. We have referrals for disaster unemployment if people lost their jobs because of the disaster."

"We also have assistance with child care," she added. "We have referrals and volunteer agencies.

"They can come in and talk to us, sit down one-on-one and we'll help them and see what we can do for them."

The DRC in Fayetteville is currently open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. "We might shorten our hours later if we're not getting the traffic flow through here," said Buckley.

In addition to the in-person consultations possible in Fayetteville, mobile DRCs are being dispatched in the county, Buckley said. "So, we're trying to make sure we're available and accessible to the community that's been affected in any of those counties."

"It's been slow so far," she said Thursday of foot traffic to the Fayetteville center, which opened on June 12. "But, you know, a lot of people register online now."

In a press release, FEMA officials announced this week that over $2 million has been approved for homeowners and renters in West Virginia, less than a month after Biden issued the declaration for the state for the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and mudslides of April 2-6.

That total includes more than $1,232,418 in housing assistance to help homeowners and renters with expenses such as temporary housing and essential home repairs.

Additionally, more than $834,805 has been approved for other needs assistance, which covers expenses such as transportation, child care and medical and dental costs. More than 1,342 households and businesses have registered with FEMA to date, the release noted.

"I am proud of the hard work and support from at all levels of government and community partners to support those West Virginia residents who were impacted by the April storms," Federal Coordinating Officer Jeff Jones said in the release. "It is great to see FEMA surpass $2 million in assistance to residents to recover. As we all work diligently to continue the mission, we hope the updates to FEMA's programs have made the recovery process easier for survivors."

Besides Fayette, federal disaster assistance is available to residents of Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marshall, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Wayne and Wetzel counties.

For a current list of open DRC locations, visit DRC Locator online. If your access to the internet is limited, one resource may be your local public library, which offers public access to the internet.

Survivors need not visit a DRC to apply for assistance. If it is not possible to go in person to apply, call 800-621-FEMA (3362). The toll-free telephone line operates from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

And, officials, stress, the fastest and easiest way to apply for assistance is by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov.

For more information, visit emd.wv.gov, the West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4783 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.

Disaster assistance may include grants to help homeowners and renters pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacement 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. Those loans may cover repairs, rebuilding, as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.

Loans available include business physical disaster loans, economic injury disaster loans and home disaster loans. Applicants must have an acceptable credit history and show the ability to repay the loans.

The SBA application filing deadline for physical damage is July 22. For economic injury, it's Feb. 24, 2025.

For more information on West Virginia's disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4783, and www.facebook.com/FEMA.

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Facebook