CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A representative from FEMA says so far, they have approved over $5.2 million in disaster relief assistance to residents across 11 counties following the early April severe storms and tornadoes. The deadline to register for that assistance from the April 2-6 storms is Monday, July 22.
After the state received an official disaster declaration following those storms, FEMA has been providing individual assistance to people across Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha, Marshall, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Wayne and Wetzel counties since May.
Along with the more than $5.2 million that was given out to those residents for home repairs, personal property losses, among other expenses not covered by insurance, FEMA Media Relations Specialist Trey Paul lays out the statistics regarding home inspections made throughout the process as well.
“There have been 1,400 home inspections, and just specifically speaking for Kanawha County, we can tell you that close to 1,000 people have registered there, 941 at last check,” Paul said.
The National Weather Service had confirmed tornado counts throughout the storms had reached into the double digits.
Paul said some of the aftermath from those storms he had witnessed himself was quite shocking, such as cars being piled on top of one another and significant roof damages to people’s homes.
He said although they at FEMA are charged with dealing with all kinds of disasters, they’re never immune to the shocking impact it leaves behind.
“Anytime someone loses property or is affected by a storm, it’s terrible,” he said.
However, Paul said while it has been a difficult time for the impacted residents in the wake of those storms, the process in getting them the assistance they need has gone smoothly.
“Of course we hate to see anyone having to deal with the aftermath of a storm, however, what I’ll say is the process has gone smoothly, we are certainly optimistic that we are able to connect survivors with assistance and that is meaningful in and of itself,” he said.
Paul said there are four different ways people can reach FEMA to receive assistance.
The first way is they can visit any nearby Disaster Recovery Center and talk to a FEMA representative one-on-one and in-person.
He said people can also call their toll-free telephone line at 800-621-3362. Lastly, Paul said they can utilize FEMA’s online platforms such as its website to sign up for assistance or by downloading the FEMA app.
Paul said if you still need disaster assistance from the early April storms, there’s only a few days left to apply so now’s the time to do so.
“We’re encouraging survivors to apply for assistance if they haven’t already, if you’re listening and you know someone who was impacted by the storms from April 2nd through the 6th please know the registration deadline is Monday, July 22,” he said.
Paul said FEMA is also here for a bit longer following another disaster, the severe flooding which had occurred the week after the storms on April 11th and 12th.
He said they are reaching out to victims across seven counties for that disaster in Kanawha, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Roane, Wetzel and Wood counties. The deadline to apply for that is assistance is September 3.