Deadline approaching for Hurricane Florence assistance programs with FEMA

Dec. 06--RALEIGH -- North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Florence have one week from Thursday left to register for assistance programs with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The deadline to apply for assistance from FEMA and for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13.

"Hurricane Florence was a gut punch to North Carolina and families, businesses, farms and entire communities are working hard to recover," said Gov. Roy Cooper in a news release. "We are pushing to get North Carolina the help we need to rebuild smarter and stronger. Grants and loans are available to help people put their lives back together, and it's critical to register with FEMA before the Dec. 13 deadline."

People in 34 counties are eligible to apply for Individual Assistance including Lee, Moore, Chatham and Harnett counties.

To date, more than $976 million in state and federal resources are approved for North Carolina.

To register for help from FEMA visit DisasterAssistance.gov or Disaster Assistance.gov/es for Spanish.

Call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 anytime from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

Visit a disaster recovery center. To find center locations and current hours, download the FEMA mobile app in English or Spanish, use the ReadyNC app, or visit FEMA.gov/DRC. Center hours and operations are adjusted based on visitor demand.

In-person American Sign Language interpreters are available by calling or texting 202-655-8824. Go online to watch a video on how to request an American Sign Language interpreter.

There are a number of assistance programs available:

--Individual Assistance -- Helps pay for losses not covered by insurance for things like basic repairs, rental assistance and replacing personal property.

--Housing Help -- Includes temporary housing in hotels, apartments, travel trailers and manufactured housing.

--Low Interest Loans -- The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses.

Help Available Through 211 -- Survivors can call 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162, or text FLORENCE to 898211, to reach operators who can provide housing, recovery and other post-storm assistance-related information.

"I urge all North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Florence to register for assistance with FEMA. There are many programs available to help storm survivors get back on their feet and registering with FEMA is a key step to access this help," Cooper said.

___

(c)2018 The Sanford Herald (Sanford, N.C.)

Visit The Sanford Herald (Sanford, N.C.) at www.sanfordherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.