One month after the Sept. 1 disaster declaration for Bell, Knox and Perry counties, the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency remain focused on the recovery mission following June’s storms.

The following is a snapshot of the disaster assistance to date:

• 741 individuals and households have registered for FEMA disaster assistance.
• $2,293,939 has been approved for affected individuals and households; of that

  o $1,992,829 has been approved for housing assistance. This money can be used for temporary housing as well as repair and replacement of permanent housing; and

  o $301,109 has been approved for other needs assistance. This includes money for necessities such as clothing and household items, disaster-related medical and dental costs, car repairs that are related to the disaster as well as for moving and storage expenses.

• $1,219,100 in low-interest disaster loans has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for homeowners, renters and businesses.
• 612 visits were made to three disaster recovery centers which closed on Sept. 28 where survivors met face-to-face with FEMA and SBA recovery specialists.
  
  • 633 properties have been inspected for damages by inspectors for FEMA.
  • 2,057 residences, businesses, community-based organizations, schools, town halls and houses of worship were visited by community relations field specialists.
• 200 volunteers from many houses of worship, faith-based organizations, community groups and nonprofit agencies have demonstrated their devotion to helping others on a daily basis since the disaster struck in June.

New groups of volunteers continue to help with the ongoing disaster recovery effort and many opportunities are available by contacting Kentucky Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster.

Seven counties were eligible to apply for FEMA’s Public Assistance program including Bell, Breathitt, Knott, Knox, Lee, Magoffin and Perry counties. Funds were made available for state and local governments under a federal cost-share reimbursement program to help pay for emergency protective measures and reimbursement for repair and replacement of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public utilities

Additional information about SBA loans is available through SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955 or TTY (800) 877-8339, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visiting SBA's web site at www.sba.gov. Applications also can be filled out on SBA's secure web site at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Residents of Bell, Knox and Perry counties should act soon as the October 31 deadline for registering for FEMA and Commonwealth aid is less than four weeks away.

To register with FEMA, call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. Operators are multilingual. Calls are answered seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT.

Register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. By smartphone or tablet, use m.fema.gov. FEMA’s App for android phones can be downloaded at https://market.android.com/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android.

. By smartphone or tablet, use . FEMA’s App for android phones can be downloaded at https://market.android.com/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android.

Additional information about this disaster is available at www.fema.gov and www.kyem.ky.gov.

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FEMA and KYEM can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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