FEMA deadline in sight

Arkansans stricken by the storms, tornadoes and floods that hit the state from April 14 to June 3 have just one month left to register for disaster-related assistance offered by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The registration deadline is August 1. To register for assistance or check on the status of registrations, go online to www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. FEMA phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to midnight local time seven days a week; multilingual operators are available.

"Arkansans who haven't already registered should do so as soon as possible," said State Coordinating Officer David Maxwell. "It could be the first step toward recovery from the storms."

To date, more than 10,000 Arkansas individuals and families have registered with FEMA to determine their eligibility for Individual Assistance grants from FEMA or low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. In short, these grants and loans are designed to allow survivors to repair their homes or businesses and repair or replace personal property.

"We want everyone who is eligible to receive assistance to get that help as quickly as possible," said Deputy Federal Coordinating Officer W. Michael Moore.

FEMA also has a number of social media outlets to permit anyone to follow developments in the Arkansas disaster recovery. Find FEMA tweets about recovery efforts at www.twitter.com/femaregion6. Other online resources include http://blog.fema.gov, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.