ReliefWeb

Release Date: May 1, 2011 Release Number: AL-1971- NR 006

ATLANTA – The Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency today announced the launch of a joint Facebook page to provide information on recovery efforts in the aftermath of the state’s devastating tornadoes, including assistance tips, advice on the registration process and voluntary agencies. The link is: http://www.facebook.com/AlabamaEMA.

Everyone from government officials to recovery specialists to the general public is invited to share information on helping those who have been affected by the storms

“This is great way to connect with our citizens as they share their experiences in this recovery,” said State Coordinating Officer Art Faulkner.

“It’s important that we reach out to the whole community and social networking sites have become a huge part of so many lives,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne.

Those using Twitter can receive updates by following http://twitter.com/AlabamaEMA and http://twitter.com/femaregion4. For anyone who is not on Twitter, but would like to receive updates through text message, text follow AlabamaEMA and follow femaregion4 to 40404. Standard text message rates will apply to these updates.

Both Facebook and Twitter can be accessed on web-enabled cell phones and smartphones. For anyone needing to register for disaster assistance, m.fema.gov is FEMA’s mobile site and allows users to apply for disaster assistance from their phones.

Those with a website who would like to help us spread the word on how to apply for disaster assistance, please embed a new disaster survivor widget on your site. You can grab the code from this page: http://go.usa.gov/b5d.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

Last Modified: Sunday, 01-May-2011 16:17:47