Disaster Victims Must Register Directly With FEMA To Be Eligible For Disaster Assistance
Release Date: October 22, 2004
Release Number: 1555-044
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HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania residents who sustained damage from the September storms must register directly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to become eligible for disaster assistance.
It has been reported that individuals who contact the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army or answered a county emergency management survey regarding their storm losses, are under the impression they have therefore been registered with FEMA for federal disaster aid.
However, to be eligible for federal and state disaster assistance it is necessary to either call FEMA's toll free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585 or register online at www.fema.gov. The deadline for registering for assistance is Nov. 18.
If you live in the counties listed below and previously thought you had been registered with FEMA through some other means or, after teleregistering, it has been more than 10-12 days and you still have not been visited by an inspector, please call the teleregistration line again. The lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because of high volume, the best times to call are in the evenings after 6 p.m. or on weekends.
The counties designated eligible for federal and state disaster assistance are: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Delaware, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.
If you live in one of the listed counties and have suffered damage as a result of the September storms, your are urged to call and register for disaster assistance.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Friday, 22-Oct-2004 10:49:10