By Daniel Tyson
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — As flood recovery continues, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has boots on the ground with programs to assist victims in regaining a semblance their former lives.
FEMA and state agencies are now operating nine Disaster Recovery Centers in impacted areas, where affected residents and business owners can receive face-to-face, one-on-one help with an array of relief and recovery-related assistance and services. The DRCs are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
FEMA’s Disaster Survivors Assistance teams man the DRCs to help impacted residents. Renee Bafalis, a media relations specialist for FEMA, said teams have also fanned out to displacement shelters to assist victims who may have trouble visiting a DRC.
As of Tuesday evening, FEMA had registered nearly 6,000 people and provided more than $18 million in assistance.
The agency is aware of a number of scams occurring in which victims are asked for personal information over the telephone.
Bafalis said FEMA only asks for personal information when victims register for assistance. If someone calls claiming to be a FEMA representative, Bafalis suggests the victim ask the caller about the registration number that was assigned when they signed up for assistance.
“Always protect yourself,” she warned. “FEMA does not ask for personal information when doing followups.”
Also, every FEMA employee will have identification, as well as wearing FEMA logoed clothing. Claim inspectors, who are contractors, will also have proper identification, she said.
As of Tuesday evening, FEMA’s 67 field inspectors had inspected more than 4,700 structures and issued more than $15 million in housing assistance funding.
Bafalis noted that there is a growing frustration by victims about documentation need to register for assistance. Many had official documents washed away by floodwaters and are wondering how they to obtain the correct legal papers to file a claim.
Bafalis said there are ways to obtain the documentation needed. Victims need to show a Social Security number, insurance information and proof of ownership or occupancy.
“We understand a lot of folks lost everything,” she said.
She suggested the victims work with county administrators who can help with tax information, showing ownership of a house, contact the county’s Emergency Operations Center, which will have proof of the victim’s address or contact the mortgage company. If the victim is a renter, contact the landlord who can provide a copy of the lease, Bafalis.
FEMA also suggests having a description of damages before filing a claim; photos are best, she said.
When filing a claim, victims should have a current telephone number and an address where mail can be received, Bafalis suggested.
If the victim wants direct deposit, have banking information, including routing and account numbers.
FEMA is offering essential home repair grants in varying amounts to the victims, said Bafalis.
“The catastrophic weather that affected West Virginia did not discriminate between homeowners and renters and neither do we,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Albert Lewis, who leads FEMA’s mission in the Mountain State.
Renters and homeowners may be eligible for grants from FEMA to help with such disaster-related expenses as renting a new place to live when the victim’s previous home was lost due to the disaster; disaster-related medical and dental expenses; replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged in the disaster, such as appliances and furniture, textbooks and computers used by students, and work equipment or tools used by the self-employed; repair or replacement of vehicles damaged by the disaster and disaster-related funeral and burial expenses.
FEMA grants are not loans and do not have to be repaid. They are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, SNAP benefits and several other programs.
Grants are also available to aid the repair of damaged privately owned access roads and bridges through FEMA’s Individuals and Households program. The survivor must meets all basic eligibility criteria for the Individuals and Households Program assistance, is the homeowner and the home is their primary residence.
The survivor meets at least one additional requirement: the road/bridge is the only access to the property, the home cannot be accessed due to damaged infrastructure, the safety of the occupants could be adversely affected because emergency services vehicles, such as ambulances or fire trucks, could not reach the residence. However, this will only be considered if access was available prior to the disaster.
Additionally, victims may qualify for low-interest loans of up to $40,000 from the SBA to repair or replace personal property.
SBA loans are key to obtaining funding, said Bafalis. She explained after a inspection, the claim is turned over to FEMA officials who decided to approve or deny it.
A decision is mailed normally within seven to 10 days. Included in some responses is an SBA loan packet that should be filled out. If the original claim is denied, send the SBA packet back completed for additional consideration.
“Your basically leaving money on the table” if the packet is not filed out and returned, she said.
SBA loans are open to homeowners, renters and business owners. The interest is about 1.5 percent, she said.
The SBA has opened two business recovery center in impacted areas. One is at the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corp., 804 Industrial Park, Suite 5, Maxwelton. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Business Recovery Center is offering help to businesses and non-profit organizations applying for disaster loans.
Copyright 2016 The Register-Herald