Liberty County residents now qualify for individual disaster assistance from FEMA for damages sustained because of Hurricane Irma.

The announcement was made Monday by FEMA and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who said “this assistance is absolutely necessary for Georgians to rebuild.”

Liberty is one of five coastal Georgia counties included in the individual assistance order. Businesses are not covered at this time.

Individuals in Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh counties can register with FEMA the following ways:

Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

Call the registration phone number at 800-621-3362. Those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service, call 800-621-3362. Additional information about the assistance can be found in an attached PDF document at www.coastalcourier.com.

FEMA inspectors

Housing inspectors contracted by FEMA are assisting eligible survivors of recent flooding by visiting neighborhoods and checking for damage.

The recovery process begins when residents complete the registration process. Residents need to register with FEMA and report uninsured or underinsured damage to their homes, vehicles or other personal property. An inspector will schedule an appointment to visit the home.

“The free FEMA housing inspections are an essential step in the recovery process for survivors who sustained damage to their homes,” said federal coordinating officer Thomas J. McCool. “It’s vital that survivors register with FEMA, ensure we have their current contact information and then coordinate with the housing inspector to schedule the inspection.”