FEMA Staff Heading to Your Neighborhood

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- FEMA teams will be out this weekend to provide assistance to those affected by the April 2-6, 2024 storms. FEMA staff will be answering questions about applications for Individual Assistance as well as helping those who have not yet registered.

Residents of Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marshall, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Wayne, and Wetzel counties are eligible to apply for assistance from FEMA to help with costs from damage and losses caused by the April 2-6, 2024 storms. Residents are urged to apply by Monday, July 22, 2024.

The Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams help survivors in different ways including: conducting outreach in the impacted counties, helping survivors register for FEMA assistance in their communities, and checking the status of applications and making minor corrections to applications.

If you have already applied for assistance, FEMA has inspectors on the ground to follow up on applications and review reported damages.

Residents can also visit Disaster Recovery Centers to get help with disaster assistance applications, upload documents and get questions answered about federal disaster assistance. Visit the FEMA DRC Locator page for more details on open centers in West Virginia.

While FEMA staff will be making neighborhood visits, residents of the affected counties should also be aware of potential fraud and scams by people claiming to represent FEMA:

• FEMA representatives never charge a fee or ask for payment.

• You may receive phone calls or unexpected visits to your home from people claiming they work for FEMA. The person might ask for your Social Security number and income or banking information. FEMA representatives will have a laminated identification badge and, if you have already applied, your FEMA registration number.

• Protect the privacy of your nine-digit FEMA case/registration number. Legitimate FEMA representatives will only ask for the last four digits as part of the verification process; the inspector will complete the process by providing the applicant with the first four digits of the registration ID.

For more information on West Virginia's disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov,West Virginia Emergency ManagementDivision Facebook page,www.fema.gov/disaster/4783 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.