Katrina Victims Need to Stay in Touch with FEMA 

Release Date: October 18, 2005
Release Number: 1605-071

» More Information on Alabama Hurricane Katrina

MONTGOMERY , Ala.-- Federal and state disaster recovery officials say that staying in touch with recovery agencies after registering for disaster assistance is one of the most important things that Hurricane Katrina victims can do.

"We understand that people move around a lot as they adapt to new situations," said Senior Deputy Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Bolch. "But we always need to know current addresses and contact phone numbers so we can make sure assistance goes to the right place."

Bolch explained that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided a number of ways to make it easier for applicants to update addresses, phone numbers and personal information. Staff at any Disaster Recovery Center can make updates for any previously registered applicants; the FEMA website at www.fema.gov provides an update option as does the toll-free Helpline option at 800-621-FEMA (3362).

The Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multilingual operators are available in a variety of languages to assist registered applicants A similar Helpline is available for individuals who use special keyboard equipment (TTY) at 800-462-7585.

When making a call to update status information, callers should refer to their application number issued at registration. This number is displayed on all correspondence received from FEMA and is a key identifier in tracking assistance requests.

Bolch said, "Once an applicant is assigned a registration number, it's important not to register again." He added, "Registering more than once for a specific disaster will delay assistance processing."

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, works 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: Tuesday, 18-Oct-2005 14:27:32