FEMA and It’s Role in Helping Flood Victims
April 6, 2010
Nearly everyone in the United States is familiar with FEMA – at least most people are aware of the fact that the federal government sent FEMA officials and aid workers into New Orleans to help residents get out of their flood ravaged homes and neighborhoods. As we watched the events unfold on television, we saw FEMA on the ground providing affected residents with a warm and dry place to stay and helping people make new, temporary living arrangements.
Not only are FEMA officials sent into action during a major disaster such as a flood, FEMA is also given the green light by the government to make low interest loans available to businesses of all sizes, agricultural co-ops, and private organizations that have suffered flood related money problems. Farmers can seek loans up to $500,000 to cover production and property losses. There is also FEMA crisis counseling in place in flood ravaged areas which provides help to residents who were traumatized by the disaster, income tax assistance to assist people in filing for casualty losses and legal assistance to help people sort out such things as social security issues and veteran’s benefits. FEMA is a large organization that is multi-faceted to ensure that the citizens of the United States are provided with assistance during times of extreme crisis.
For anyone who has been a victim of a flood, they should go to FEMA’s website and register for assistance. There are also toll free telephone numbers which can be called. Applicants can expect to be asked a series of questions when applying such as insurance coverage, name, address, contact information and so forth. If FEMA is already on the ground in a flood zone, affected residents are urged to seek out the nearest Disaster Recovery Center manned by FEMA so that the proper guidance can be given in regards to which types of assistance they may be eligible for.
FEMA also has some important information on its website informing people what to do after a flood which are well worth mentioning. People are asked to keep an eye and ear on news reports concerning the quality of drinking water. They are also advised not to walk through moving water and to be wary of areas where flood water has receded as roads could collapse. It is not advisable to return home following a flood until told to do so by local officials and people should stay out of any building that is surrounded by water. They also advise homeowners to clean and carefully disinfect water soaked items because flood water can contain harmful chemicals and raw sewage. These are some tips that unfortunately, many people fail to follow due to nerves being on edge and the fact that emotions are running high following a flood disaster.
