Release Date: May 7, 2011 Release Number: AL-1971-NR 022
» More Information on Alabama Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In the week since the devastating tornadoes struck Alabama, more than 44,000 individuals and households have registered for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Through a robust response and recovery effort, state and federal agencies coordinated hundreds of truckloads of vital supplies – and more than $21 million has been approved to help survivors through FEMA’s Individual and Household program.
The following numbers, compiled May 6, provide a snapshot of the Alabama-FEMA disaster recovery to date:
Funds approved
$15.2 million for Housing Assistance grants to help with recovery rental expenses and home repair costs; $5.9 million for Other Needs Assistance to cover essential disaster-related needs, such as medical expenses and lost personal possessions. Survivor recovery
44,562 registered for disaster assistance; 20,220 applications issued by the U. S. Small Business Administration for low-interest loans to eligible homeowners, renters or business owners; More than 8,000 damaged homes and property inspected; 42 counties declared for individual assistance; and 18 disaster recovery centers opened. Key supplies
2.1 million Meals Ready to Eat; 1.4 million liters of water; 136,000 tarps. FEMA continues to work with volunteer agencies and the private sector to speed the recovery effort. But those affected by the severe storm need to register with FEMA for disaster aid.
No matter the degree of loss or insurance, survivors are urged to apply for help. They can use the following methods:
By phone, call 800-621-FEMA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., local time. Operators are multilingual. For the speech or hearing impaired, the number is TTY 800-462-7585.
By computer, go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
By smartphone or tablet, use m.fema.gov.
Recovery officials urge all Alabama residents who have registered for assistance to stay in close touch with FEMA throughout the recovery process, especially during the first weeks after registration when damage housing inspectors must contact applicants to view damages. Those with mobile phones should provide that number to FEMA during the registration process.
Affected survivors and business owners in the 42 designated counties may apply for assistance. Those counties are: Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington and Winston.
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.
For more information on Alabama’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://www.ema.alabama.gov/.
For the joint Facebook page, go to www.facebook.com/AlabamaEMA. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/AlabamaEMA or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.