CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports they so far have distributed over $2 million dollars in recovery assistance for the 2023 August flash flood victims across the five counties that were most affected. This follows the disaster declaration FEMA was able to obtain on January 31st.
After setting up four different Disaster Recovery Centers for residents of Kanawha, Harrison, Clay, Boone, and Calhoun counties to provide disaster assistance for the flood which took place from August 28 to Aug. 30, 2023, representatives with FEMA say they will soon be wrapping up their efforts and flood victims have just two weeks left to get registered to receive the assistance.
FEMA Media Relations Specialist, Tiana Suber, told MetroNews that the deadline to register for FEMA disaster assistance is Monday, April 1., and they are encouraging all of those who have not yet made it out to the recovery centers to sign up to do so as soon as possible.
“The important part about that is that if you register before the deadline, you can continue to get help after the deadline,” said Suber. “Once you have a registration number with us we will be able to continue to help you, and you know, if you feel like maybe you do, maybe you don’t need FEMA, register with us anyway.”
She said you never know what reimbursement opportunities that FEMA may have available for you regarding any expenses that may have incurred over the last six months in rebuilding after the flood.
To date, FEMA has approved a total of $1,926,131 in Individual Assistance, $1,842,349 in Housing Assistance, and $83,781 in Other Needs Assistance.
Suber said there has been a total of 557 registrations so far, with 254 being out of Kanawha County, 141 in Harrison, 62 in Clay, another 62 in Boone, and 38 in Calhoun County.
In addition, a total of 563 people have visited the DRCs so far, which are set up at the Harrison County Courthouse, Belle Town Hall and Penn VA Coal Carbon Center in Kanawha County, as well as a mobile unit was set up along Main Street in Clay County.
Suber said overall, the recovery centers have been running fairly smoothly, despite there being a little confusion at first as a result of people hearing some misinformation about the centers based on what they heard word-of-mouth.
“When you come to the Disaster Recovery Center we tell you everything that you need to know, because, a lot of people have learned something different than what their neighbor has told them, and so they were able to get the help that they needed and were glad they came in and did not miss the opportunity to get some kind of assistance from the flooding,” she said.
She said a couple of rumors that were started about the centers were that only certain towns were eligible to get help through FEMA, and that only people who have flood insurance were able to receive help, however, Suber said they want to clarify that everyone affected throughout each of the counties can get the assistance, and that one does not need to have flood insurance to receive it either.
Suber said every case has been different regarding the types of reimbursements and resources people have received based on individual circumstances. She said some needed reimbursements from whatever expenses they have already had to pay for while others needed assistance from FEMA from the beginning to end.
She said they try to assist every need as a result from the disaster at the centers, as well as make the process go as straightforward as possible.
“We are definitely glad to help them when they come to visit our DRCs, because, you get that one-on-one help talking to a person in person and not over the phone, and somebody who is patient and willing to help you through that process step-by-step,” she said.
Suber said after the April 1 deadline to register with FEMA for assistance, people would then have to resort to local resources for assistance such as through non-profits.
She said they want to ensure everyone affected by the flood and had experienced damages to their homes and businesses are able to get the assistance they need.
“We try to just go above and beyond to try and help the survivors here, I know that in certain areas they were still struggling to get back on their feet, and when they found out we were here they were very happy to see us,” said Suber.
She said for people to make it out to the centers as soon as possible to register.
There are currently four Disaster Recovery Centers open:
· Harrison County Courthouse
301 W. Main Street, Clarksburg, WV 26301
Hours of operation:
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
. Belle Town Hall
1100 E. Dupont Ave. Belle, WV 25015
Hours of operation:
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Penn VA Coal Carbon Center
13905 MacCorkle Ave, Charleston, WV 25301
Hours of operation:
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Clay County
Located at 223 Main Street Clay, 35043, WV
Hours of operations:
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
People can also fill out an application online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362.