Many Arkansas residents who suffered damage during the severe storms in late spring may have registered for assistance with state or volunteer agencies. This is not the same as registering with FEMA for disaster aid, officials say.
While FEMA, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and volunteer agencies often work together, their missions, programs and funding are not the same. Residents should register with FEMA for access to federal disaster assistance.
FEMA is funded by congress and administers disaster programs determined by federal officials and requested by the state. Disaster declarations by the state of Arkansas provide some assistance based on state criteria, but that aid is “turned off” when a federal declaration is made to avoid duplicating benefits.
The disaster declaration on June 26 put in place several sources of federal funding. It is available to residents in counties affected by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding between May 7 and June 15. The counties are Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian and Sevier.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in those counties can apply for federal assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362 (FEMA) or by Web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Disaster assistance applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.