Double Dennis-Katrina Damages? Register Anew! 

Release Date: September 9, 2005
Release Number: 1605-010

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MONTGOMERY, Al. - For Alabama residents who suffered damage or loss from Hurricane Dennis, a familiar process is required to obtain aid for any new damages caused by Hurricane Katrina.

All recent hurricane victims in the disaster-declared counties are urged to call FEMA's toll-free application number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or for the speech- or hearing-impaired 1 800 462 7585 (TTY). The toll-free telephone numbers are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week until further notice and multilingual operators are available to assist disaster victims. Internet registration is available online at www.fema.gov.

Recovery officials said that a previous call to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply for Hurricane Dennis aid will not register anyone for possible disaster assistance due to Hurricane Katrina.

"It's easy to see why we have to treat every disaster as a separate event," explained Federal Coordinating Officer Ron Sherman. "We can't make assumptions or duplicate aid. That's why it is so important to call FEMA to register for any Hurricane Katrina loss."

State Coordinating Officer Bruce Baughman said, "Even though you may have called other agencies or volunteer organizations working in your area, you must call FEMA teleregistration to preserve your assistance options."

Both officials noted that teleregistration lines may require waits because of the extent of multi-state damage and asked callers to have patience. Calling during off-peak hours, late at night or early morning, could help avoid busy signals or extended periods on-hold the officials said.

The ten counties declared eligible for state/FEMA Individual Assistance programs are: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Greene, Hale, Mobile, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Washington.

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages the federal response and recovery efforts following an incident of national significance. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities to reduce the risk of loss in future disasters, trains first responders, workers with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Saturday, 10-Sep-2005 12:07:32