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FEMA offers assistance to Crawford & Sebastian County residents

By
Industry Observer

FEMADue to the severe damage caused by the many recent, very severe storms that battered our area over the past two months. FEMA has opened up a local offices in Van Buren and Fort Smith, Arkansas to help aid families who suffered damage.

                                                                                                                                                                                   HailI was one of those families affected by the storms that raged through the area. I blogged about the massive hail and flooding that my home experienced.

My car also received severe damage and my insurance company cut me a check for part of the damage to my car but it wasn`t enough to cover the repairs, so my car has not yet been fixed. It was about $1500 less than I needed to fix it. I am still waiting for my homeowners insurance adjuster to come check out the damage to my roof and windows. The flooding to the lower part of my home is not covered because it was from outside water.

I was told by a realtor friend of mine that I should contact FEMA and see what assistance I might get. I wasnt sure I could get help since I had insurance.

I called the number and was directed to their website http://www.fema.gov/ to file a claim. It only took me about 15 minutes to fill out the online form. I was totally blown away that within 2 hours of filing, I received a call from the FEMA field adjuster. He was at my house within 30 minutes after the call and assessed the damage. I was so impressed with the whole process. I have never had that kind of response from any government agencey ever.

If you live in Crawford County or Sebastian County in Arkansas, you may be able to receive assistance from FEMA. It doesnt hurt anything to call or visit the office or online to see if they can help.

The above picture was taken by J. Andrew Lockhart a local photographer I blogged about yesterday.

The Disaster Recovery Center in Van Buren is open now through Saturday, June 7. Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays. The locations are:

Crawford County
226 Cloverleaf Plaza
Van Buren, AR  72956

Sebastian County (DRC)
Fort Smith Events Center
(across street from Howard Johnson's)
12 N. 11th St.
Fort Smith, AR  72901
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
May 2 through May 31, Closed Sundays

Disaster victims are urged to register for assistance before visiting a DRC by logging on to http://www.fema.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those who are speech- or hearing-impaired. Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Representatives from ADEM, FEMA and the SBA will be available at the MDRC to answer questions and to provide recovery information. Officials at the MDRC also can check the status of disaster applications; provide information about state agencies and voluntary organizations; discuss the SBA's low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and businesses; and provide information on how to reduce future damage. No cash, checks, debit cards or vouchers are distributed at disaster recovery centers. These centers are solely for the dissemination of information to assist victim recovery.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. If you know anyone in theis area that sustained damage, please pass this information on to them.

Thanks!

Susan

 

Posted by

Susan Davis

Comments (2)

Ross Quintana
Real E Smarter - Spokane, WA
Real E Smarter Real Estate Coach - 509-362-1966

Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert Yeah, it propbably helps that they got reemed for Catrina so they are probably on their toes. I'm glad to hear you are getting some help. Most people think they are covered by insurance and insurance is usually garbage and you don't know until you make a claim. Very scammy. But hey will gladly take your money every month.

May 14, 2008 11:51 PM
Anonymous
Linda

My Family was in the Van Buren Tornado and our insurance man was Fantastic.  They paid for everything except the 500.00 deductible. Fema and the Red Cross were knocking on our door the next morning.

However, I did hear that alot of the Tornado Victoms in Fort Smith had to wait quite awhile for help, which is a shame.

~Linda~

Aug 05, 2008 09:41 AM
#2