FEMA takes final Mercer County applications as deadline arrives
Feb. 8—princeton — FEMA representatives staffing a disaster recovery center or working online Friday took the last applications from Mercer County residents working to get past the damages inflicted when Tropical Storm Helene hit the region last year.
West Virginia FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Georgeta Dragoiu said that Friday was the last day for submitting disaster relief applications. Agency staffers were at the Lifeline Princeton Church of God near Princeton until 5 p.m. that day. The deadline was midnight Friday.
The disaster recovery center will remain open until Feb. 14 to aid people who have filed applications. Located at 250 Oakvale Road, the center's hours of operation will be Monday, Feb. 10 to Thursday, Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. It will be closed Saturday and Sunday.
"For those who have already applied and have questions about documents, help uploading documents, or they may have received a letter from FEMA that they don't understand, they may want to appeal the decision FEMA has made, we will be at the same location at Lifeline Church and available to answer those questions and walk them through that appeal process if they get a decision from FEMA that has been unfavorable," Dragoiu said.
"That's why we're here, to meet people where they are in their local communities where we've seen the greatest impact from the storms," Dragoiu said. "And it's been in Bluefield. It's been in Princeton. That's why we chose these locations, to be accessible to people, one-on-one, sitting down with people face-to-face and being able to answer your questions and get that extra hand holding. That's what we really want people to feel from this experience, that we're here for them."
"We have now approved more than $2.2 million in assistance for residents of Mercer County," Dragoiu said. "More than $1.4 million of that has been for housing assistance and that's included basic home repairs, rental assistance, coverage for personal property like a computer for example and then approximately $900,000 of that has been other needs assistance that people have had, so immediate needs like food and gas and baby formula."
"We understand this is one of the worst days in people's lives and that's why we come here to be a part of the community and really meet people where they are," she said.
"After someone has applied, we will call to follow up and make sure again that if people have questions or need help completing their applications. If you get a call from an unknown number, it may be from a FEMA representative trying to reach you. We will always leave a message and urge you to call back so we can complete that application. We have a team of people dedicated to making those calls, and because of those calls we've been able to help almost an additional 600 applicants process their applications and give around $700,000 more in aid because of those calls," she said.
FEMA has repeatedly warned the public to beware of scam callers or visitors claiming to represent the federal agency.
"I think there are a couple of things to remember. If you interact in person with a FEMA representative, they will always have a laminated ID and we will never call you and ask you for money or credit card information and we will never ask for your full Social Security (Number)," Dragoiu said. "We have your case number and we will provide that to you when we call you."
"If you're ever in doubt, give us a call back at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)," she said.
Homeowners, renters and business owners impacted by Tropical Storm Helene can still apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration physical disaster loan.
"With the SBA, there is an additional 60 days that survivors can come to the center or go online at lending.sba.gov and complete the registration for the disaster that happened here for Helene," said Wakim Brice, officer in charge with the SBA in Mercer County.
"So far we have taken 73 applications in and given over a quarter million dollars dispersed for residents to repair physical structures as well as their personal belongings that may have been damaged and assisted business owners as well as renters in the area, so we are gearing up for that," he said.
SBA representatives will be available at the Princeton Public Library until Feb. 14, Brice said.
The SBA's Customer Service Center can be reached at 1-800-659-2955 or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay service.
The SBA is still encouraging small businesses and private nonprofit organizations in West Virginia to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by Post-Tropical Storm Helene.
The declaration covers the counties of McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming in West Virginia, as well as Bland, Giles and Tazewell counties in Virginia, according to Janel S. Finley, a public affairs specialist with the SBA.
Under this declaration, SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations that suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster, Finley said. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage, Finley said. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred.
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amount terms are based on each applicant's financial condition.
SBA will partner with local stakeholders to conduct webinars and workshops targeted to small businesses and non-profit organizations in disaster-declared counties. Information on future events will be shared with the media.
Contact Greg Jordan at
gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
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