HPP– Residents of Virginia who have been harmed by Hurricane Helene are continuing to receive assistance from FEMA.
At the beginning of October, 10,520 residents of Virginia have registered to receive aid from FEMA. Through the Individual Assistance Program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has agreed to provide more than $12.9 million to households and individuals. Over three hundred and five thousand houses were visited by Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams as they went door to door.
Throughout southwest Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened ten Disaster Recovery Centers, which served over four thousand people who came to seek for assistance or receive further support.
Employees of the Enhanced Applicant Services division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency are continuing to follow up with applicants who may have been denied aid due to missing or incomplete information. They have assisted Virginians in receiving an additional $2.2 million in aid by making over 2,200 calls to applicants and assisting them in receiving the assistance.
Survivors are strongly encouraged by FEMA to keep their contact information up to current, including any changes to their phone numbers or residences, and to respond to letters and calls from the organization.
“We are in the early stages of this long-term recovery process following the impacts of Hurricane Helene in Southwest Virginia,” said VDEM State Coordinator Shawn Talmadge. “The collaboration between VDEM, FEMA, other state agencies, non-profits, businesses, and the community will continue on the ground supporting those affected by Helene.”
In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held Agriculture Recovery Resource Days, which were programs that lasted for an entire day and were geared toward agricultural producers in the communities that were most severely affected. Resources were delivered directly to the areas that were affected by these catastrophes. The event was attended by 272 participants, and over 20 organizations from the federal, state, and municipal levels participated.
On Sunday, December 8, Vice President Biden raised the amount of federal funding providing for the cleanup of debris in Virginia. Within six months following the effect of Hurricane Helene, the federal government will now pay for one hundred percent of the entire eligible debris removal cost for a period of one hundred twenty days of the commonwealth’s choosing.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is continuing to collaborate with other federal and state authorities in order to remove debris from streams and creeks, particularly in the areas surrounding Claytor Lake and South Holston Lake. The removal of waste contributes to the restoration of wildlife habitats, recreation areas, and areas of economic growth in the southwest region of Virginia.