MCDOWELL COUNTY, W. Va. -McDowell County is continuing to work to recover from last month’s devastating flooding, impacting a still-unknown number of homes, with more than five hundred still without water as of Tuesday morning. Following last week’s approval of a “Major Disaster Declaration” from the Federal Government, FEMA workers are now on-the-ground, working to assess the damage.
There, they’re also looking for sites to house their recovery centers to register those affected by the flood. So far, the Bradshaw Town Hall has gotten the approval to be the first-of-three locations, which the McDowell County emergency manager, Bobby Bowman, expects to be operational later this week.
In the meantime, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are going door-to-door, getting the information of those affected by the flood, asking questions about the extent of the damage, including power outages resulting in food loss. Bowman encourages those with damage to their homes, roadways, or bridges to register with FEMA, but while FEMA may cover more than you expect, they don’t cover everything.
“Well, I hope people get back some of what they’ve lost, you know, no one is never made whole by FEMA… That’s a misunderstanding people have. They don’t make you five minutes before the flood. I know you want that, but that’s just not what FEMA does; FEMA is going to make you safe, secure, warm, and hopefully, they will, you know, have some funding that can work toward that…” says Bowman.
You don’t have to wait for the FEMA teams to arrive in your neighborhood to apply for aid. You can also give them a call (800-621-3362), download the app, or go to this website.
Bowman also reminds people that FEMA staff will never ask for money and will wear FEMA identification.
He also encourages people avoid hoarding resources during this time of widespread need.
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