MCDOWELL COUNTY, W.Va. – Leaders with the Federal Emergency Management Agency say disaster survivor assistance teams have been all over southern West Virginia as they go door to door to assist people in getting financial aid from FEMA.
We’re told the teams have been able to visit more than 11,000 homes since they were deployed to the state.
“This is really great for people who might have limited mobility. It’s also really great because people can tell us their stories, they can tell us the unmet need of the community. So DSA is really a heart of FEMA,” said Kelly Magarity, media relations specialist for FEMA.
Magarity says DSA teams have also visited more than 4,000 community centers which include churches and public buildings in an effort to get people signed up to receive aid.
Boone, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne and Wyoming Counties have all received public assistance through FEMA.
WVVA was able to catch up with a DSA team visiting homes in the Elkhorn area of McDowell County on Wednesday. The area like many others in the county has limited internet capabilities.
Thanks to these teams they’re able to register people for aid right on their doorstep.
“We do maintain satellite which helps us to register people on the spot. It really gives those people in the community who may not be able to make it to our disaster recovery centers,” said Magarity.
Magarity says it’s expected that the door to door teams will wrap up their efforts in areas like McDowell County soon. However, she says disaster recovery centers will remain open for people to apply for aid.
She urges anyone in need of face to face assistance to visit a center near them.
You can also apply for assistance by going here or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
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