Survivors Should Stay in Touch With FEMA

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Oct. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

It is vitally important that applicants keep in touch with FEMA when their living situation or contact information changes. Many survivors become displaced immediately after a disaster and often stay with friends or family when they register for disaster assistance.

Updating mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses can help survivors stay in touch if FEMA needs to reach them. Other information FEMA may need includes details of insurance settlements or additional disaster-caused damage.

Also, this is a good time to check on the status of a FEMA registration or ask questions that have come up.

Survivors can update their information the following ways:

* Visit DisasterAssistance.gov; Click "check status" to create an account or log in to check the status of an application.

* Call 800-621-3362 (800-462-7585 TTY) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; or,

* Via the FEMA mobile app, available for Apple and Android mobile devices. To download visit fema.gov/mobile-app.

FEMA recommends survivors have their FEMA registration number on hand before calling. If the number is not available, the record can be located by the applicant's name.

For those who applied for a low-interest disaster loan with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), call the SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center to update information or check the status of an application at: 800-659-2955; by email to [email protected]; or via the SBA website at sba.gov/disaster. Hard of hearing or deaf individuals may call 800-877-8339.

For more information on Hurricane Florence and South Carolina recovery, visit the South Carolina Emergency Management Division website at scemd.org, on social media (@SCEMD on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), or FEMA's Hurricane Florence disaster webpage at www.fema.gov/disaster/4394, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA, and the FEMA Region 4 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion4.