The Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched Disaster Survivor Assistance teams in Irma-stricken neighborhoods throughout five coastal counties to help Georgia disaster survivors register for assistance.
FEMA Media Specialist Steven Solomon said the DSA teams were currently in Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh counties.
They are canvassing areas to give residents an opportunity to register for disaster assistance and to quickly identify and address immediate and emerging needs. The teams can also provide application updates and referrals to additional resources when needs remain.
These mobile team members can be identified easily by their photo identification and FEMA clothing. Georgia residents are reminded to ask for photo identification before providing personal information.
Solomon said FEMA and state representatives are looking for a viable location to open a Disaster Recovery Center. Once they find a suitable location FEMA will announce its location and operational hours.
Solomon noted around 5,000 people had registered for disaster assistance by noon Thursday in the five counties. He said they anticipate more registrations in the days to come.
“We will be here as long as it takes to register every hurricane survivor,” he said.
In addition to the registration opportunity offered by recovery teams, survivors can register for assistance by the following methods:
Register online at www.DisasterAssistance.govor through the FEMA mobile app.
The FEMA helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, but you can
call 800-621-3362.
Survivors who are deaf or hard of hearing or who have difficulty speaking may call
TTY 800-462-7585. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week. Assistance is available in multiple languages.
· Homeowners, renters and businesses can find an electronic loan application on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Questions can be answered by calling the SBA disaster customer service center at
800-659-2995 or (TTY) 800-877-8339 or www.sba.gov/disaster.
For more information on Georgia’s hurricane recovery, go to www.fema.gov/disaster/4338 or visit the Georgia Emergency Management Agency site at gema.ga.gov.
Have this information ready when you apply:
Social Security number
Address of the damaged home or apartment
Description of the damage
Information about insurance coverage
A current contact telephone number
An address where you can receive mail
Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds
Applicants will receive a unique registration number. This number will be required throughout the claim process and should be noted down and kept in a handy location. Solomon said the deadline to apply for disaster assistance in Georgia is Nov. 14