Federal Disaster Assistance Deadline is Approaching

TYLER – Residents of Anderson, Cherokee, Smith and Wood counties who had damage from the April storms, are eligible for disaster assistance. The deadline to register is this Friday. Disaster assistance for homeowners and renters may include grants to help pay for temporary housing and essential home repairs, as well as other serious disaster-related needs such as medical and dental expenses.

First, you must register with FEMA and then complete and return a no-obligation loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration if one is offered. There is no charge to apply for the loan and if approved, no obligation to accept it.
Disaster survivors may register the following ways:
*online at DisasterAssistance.gov<http://www.disasterassistance.gov *phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 7:00am to 10:00pm, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. *at a disaster recovery center. Smith County residents may go to: Wise Elementary (Chapel Hill Independent School District) 10659 Texas Highway 64 East. Hours of operation are 9:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday and 9:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday. *To find additional locations, go online to the disaster recovery center locator at http://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits. Survivors should register even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.