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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal governmentHurricane Survivors Have More Time to Register With FEMA

Hurricane Survivors Have More Time to Register With FEMA

Survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands have until Dec. 18 to register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA has granted the territorial government’s request to extend the deadlines and make the deadline the same for both disasters.

“We understand that the ongoing communications challenges and power outages have made it difficult for some Virgin Islanders to register with FEMA, and we want to ensure everyone has an opportunity,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel.

Survivors having connectivity issues may visit any Disaster Recovery Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to meet with an applicant specialist and get help registering.

St. Croix recovery centers are at:

    Frederiksted at the Rotary Club West, 40 KA-KD Estate LaGrange

    Christiansted at the Old Post Office Building at Church and Company streets

    Christiansted at Fire Captain Rencelliar I. Gibbs Fire Station at Parcel No. 1, Estate Cotton Valley, East End

St. Thomas recovery centers are at:

    Charlotte Amalie at the New Hotel Company Omar Brown Fire Station, Conference Room 108, 100A Ross Taarenberg

    Estate Bordeaux at the Bordeaux Farmers Market, 109 East Bordeaux

Survivors who have connectivity may register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362. Individuals who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) should call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time), seven days a week. Operators are standing by to assist survivors in multiple languages.

Survivors may be eligible for grants to repair and rebuild their homes and/or replace essential personal property. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid, but they cannot duplicate benefits from other sources, such as insurance coverage. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

The extension also gives survivors more time to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the federal government’s primary source of money for long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or damaged personal property.

Survivors may visit a Disaster Recovery Center, call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or visit www.sba.gov/disaster for more information about disaster loans.

Survivors may also send an email with questions to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 800-877-8339. Applicants may apply online using SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

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