CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission met Thursday evening, and on the top of the agenda, was the topic of disaster recovery following both the April 2-6 storms that featured tornadoes and the April 11-12 storms that caused flooding and landslides.
Both storms had disaster declarations announced by President Joe Biden, with the April 2-6 storms affecting 11 counties including Kanawha, Putman and Boone, while the April 11-12 storms affecting mainly residents of St. Albans and Dunbar.
Residents who were affected by the storms can seek FEMA physical assistance at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Dunbar Recreation Center. The center has been open since the April 2-6 storms and started serving victims of the April 11-12 storms on July 5.
In addition to physical loans that individuals with damage to property can apply for, there is another loan that can be applied for called a “economic injury disaster loans,” which can be applied for through FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
These loans are for private non-profits and small businesses that suffered disruptions to their activities but did not suffer physical damage. Disruptions include employees not being able to get to work or customers and suppliers not being able to reach the businesses due to road closures or other circumstances due to the storms.
During the commission’s meeting Thursday evening, Stephen Clark, a representative from the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Recovery and Relief was brought in to speak and offer explanation.
Clark urged citizens who have been affected to not wait for an insurance settlement before applying for an assistance loan.
“We encourage people do not wait to receive an insurance settlement before applying for an SBA loan,” Clark said. “We don’t anyone to be waiting for an insurance settlement, get their settlement, decide that it’s not sufficient, and then be in need of additional assistance.”
Clark also made it clear that any residents who were affected by both storms need to come out and apply for assistance two times.
“If you know anyone who has suffered damage from both events, they need to apply twice to cover the damage from both events,” Clark said.
Kanawha County Commission President Lance Wheeler also chimed in on the matter, saying the message needs to be spread, as there is likely a large population that was affected by both sets of storms.
“I think that’s something that we need to really be posting on our social media and into our press release, is letting individuals know that they need to apply for both,” Wheeler said. “If they’ve already applied for one, they still need to come and apply for the second one because I think we have a lot of citizens who have been affected by both storms. Being so close together in time range and the county, the way it’s set up, I think we need to make that very clear.”
The application deadline for residents to apply for the April 2-6 storms is July 22, while the application deadline for the April 11-12 storms is September 3.
The Dunbar Disaster Recovery Center is open every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.