Today, U.S. Representative Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) announced exactly three weeks remain for families affected by the severe storms, tornadoes and floods that ravaged southern and eastern Kentucky counties between February 29^th and March 3^rd to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance. The FEMA registration deadline for this disaster (FEMA-4057-DR) is May 7th, 2012.

“To date, almost $8.3 million has been approved for Individual Assistance, including housing assistance, short-term rental assistance, home repair costs and miscellaneous needs,” says Rogers. “I am pleased with the progress that has been made in the disaster recovery process, however, more work lies ahead. In order to ensure that Kentuckians are receiving a wide range of possible assistance, families must take the time to register with FEMA so that claims can be processed and the clean-up can continue. FEMA assistance is crucial to our region’s recovery, so I encourage every citizen to apply before the May 7^th deadline.”

FEMA disaster assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, replacement of essential household items and clothing, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Registration is also necessary in order to apply for SBA low interest disaster loans to pay for losses not covered by insurance.

Disaster officials urge everyone who suffered damage or losses from the storms to register for assistance, including those who may have had insurance to cover some of their losses. Insurance may not cover all losses.

The May 7th registration deadline is for residents of 21 designated counties. The counties eligible for Individual Assistance (IA) in the Commonwealth include: Bath, Campbell, Carroll, Grant, Grayson, Johnson, Kenton, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Magoffin, Martin, Meniffee, Morgan, Montgomery, Ohio, Pendleton, Rowan, Russell, Trimble and Wolfe.

Public Assistance (PA) is also available to the following counties in the Commonwealth: Bath, Campbell, Carroll, Grant, Grayson, Johnson, Kenton, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Magoffin, Martin, Meniffee, Morgan, Montgomery, Ohio, Pendleton, Rowan, Russell, Trimble and Wolfe.

There are three quick and simple methods to register with FEMA:

• By phone, call 800-621-FEMA (3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Assistance is available in many languages. Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have a speech disability may use TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service should call 800-621-3362.
• By computer, go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
• By smartphone or tablet, use m.fema.gov.

Additional information about this disaster (DR-1976-KY) is available at www.fema.gov and www.kyem.ky.gov.

To date:

• $17 million has been approved in federal assistance to Kentucky, from both FEMA and SBA.
• 5,212 families in designated counties have registered for FEMA assistance.
• 3,080 inspections of damaged properties have been conducted.
• 3,248 visits were made to disaster recovery centers by affected people.
• 157 U.S. Small Business Administration loans have been approved, totaling $8,695,300.

Rogers has served Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District since 1981. With a focus on economic development, job creation, fighting illegal drugs and preserving Appalachia’s natural treasures, he has a reputation for listening to his constituents and fighting for the region he represents. For more information visit www.halrogers.house.gov or Rogers’ Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CongressmanHalRogers. To receive Twitter updates go to: https://twitter.com/#!/RepHalRogers

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