ATLANTA – Pike County has been added to the major disaster declaration for Georgia’s severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes of Jan. 12, meaning residents who sustained damage or losses from the storms may now apply for FEMA disaster assistance.
The declaration allows FEMA to provide assistance to eligible individuals and households in eight counties: Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Troup.
Homeowners and renters who had sustained damage or losses as a direct result of the storms are encouraged to apply for FEMA assistance by the Friday, March 20 deadline. Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing and essential home repairs, as well as other serious disaster-caused related needs such as medical and dental expenses, transportation, childcare, and moving and storage expenses.
If you have insurance, first file a claim with your insurance provider. FEMA may provide assistance to eligible applicants for uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs.
There are several ways you can apply for FEMA assistance under the Individual Assistance program:
- You can also Visit any Disaster Recovery Center and meet with FEMA staff and representatives of other federal and state agencies one-on-one who can provide information about disaster assistance. To find a recovery center near you, visit DRC Locator (fema.gov).
- Visit DisasterAssistance.gov
- Download the FEMA mobile app
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in many languages. Helpline operators speak many languages and lines are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Press 2 for Spanish. Press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
- For an accessible video on how to apply, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU7wzRjByhI
For the latest information on Georgia’s recovery from the severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes, visit fema.gov/disaster/4685. You may also follow @GeorgiaEMAHS/Twitter, Facebook.com/GeorgiaEMAHS, @FEMARegion4/Twitter and Facebook.com/FEMA.