CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As disaster recovery assistance continues to be a need following the April 11th through 12th storms that hit eight counties in the state, FEMA plans to open up another Disaster Recovery Center in Boone County on Friday.
The DRC in Boone County will be open starting Friday at Madison City Hall, 255 Washington Street, Madison, WV. It will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
FEMA Media Relations Specialist Trey Paul said that as they learn more about the evolving aftermath of the storms that occurred on April 11 and 12, and which brought about flooding, mudslides and landslides, they want to continue to provide assistance where needed.
“We know that folks in West Virginia were hit with a lot in April, a lot of flooding issues, and we are working with our state partners to determine the needs of survivors and they are really doing an excellent job in guiding us when and where we are needed,” Paul said. “Right now we are needed in Boone County, so we are just opening that Disaster Recovery Center to residents and survivors there who need assistance.”
To date, the number of total disaster assistance registrations FEMA has received from residents across Boone, Hancock, Kanawha, Marshall, Ohio, Roane, Wetzel and Wood counties where the storm had hit is 456. They have approved more than $1.5 million in individual disaster assistance within those counties.
Paul said while it’s a terrible situation that residents are still pulling themselves out of, FEMA is glad they can be available to make the recovery process a little smoother.
“We hate to know and deal with the fact that people are still recovering, we hate that these survivors are having to rebuild their lives in some way, I talked to one survivor yesterday who said it would take years for him to fully recover, but we are happy to help,” he said.
A man and his family clean out their flooded basement.
Paul said while this disaster assistance they are currently providing to residents doesn’t encompass damages caused by the storms that had occurred a week prior, on April 2-6, which had brought about a series of tornadoes to different parts of the region, he said don’t think the damages caused in the week following were any less severe.
“One survivor I spoke with told me inside of his home, it was similar to a whirlpool and it was quickly rising, and he had to actually get out of his home because he feared he would drown, so that’s how extensive and really massive this flooding situation was,” said Paul.
He said along with flooding issues, residents are also still dealing with roofing damages as a result.
As it currently stands, the Boone County DRC is expected to be the last one to open in West Virginia from the April 11 and 12 storms, but Paul said FEMA does plan to be here for sometime longer and they are encouraging anyone who still needs assistance to continue to reach out.
“Right now we just want to let folks know that we are here and if you need any help rebuilding please reach out to us, it’s worth a shot, you know, if you had any damage whatsoever from the storm we are helping those who are insured, under-insured or who don’t have insurance at all,” said Paul.
The deadline to register for assistance from that storm is Tuesday, September 3.
In addition, Paul said while the registration is closed now for the April 2-6 storms, he said people can still reach out to them about damages they received from those storms if they missed the deadline and want to inquire about eligibility for assistance.
Other ways to register for disaster assistance are:
. By calling 1-800-621-3362
. Go to disasterassistance.gov
. Or by downloading the FEMA app