GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Service Assistance (DSA) field teams went door-to-door in Kent County Saturday to let people know about the financial assistance now available to them.
"Face to face work is really important," FEMA Media Relations Specialist Patrick Boland said. "That’s really the key thing is people can talk directly with our staff and they’re very, they’re experts. They’re educated in this process of helping people. It really is, bottom line, is to help people here right now and find out if we can provide financial assistance to them if they’ve had losses related to this.”
The visit comes six months after an EF-1 tornado touched down in the county on August 24, 2023, wreaking havoc on homes and businesses.
READ MORE: EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds touched down in Kent County
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden approved major disaster relief for impacted areas, making federal funding available.
REFERENCE: President Biden approves relief for damage from August 2023 storms
“So, FEMA provides financial assistance for people who’ve had financial losses, property damage, etc., related to the event, that’s not covered by insurance, right. So, this is the kind of financial damage that people experienced. Everyone’s underinsured, generally speaking, right, so when these kinds of disasters happen, you’re really not prepared. And the financial burden can be tremendous on people,” Boland said.
Grand Rapids Emergency Management and representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience joined FEMA crews.
The goal is to make sure every homeowner, renter, business and nonprofit has access to the assistance they're eligible for.
“This is important because this disaster happened last August. And it’s so important that people understand the options that are available. We understand they may have already repaired their damages and they need to understand that these are resources they should take advantage of. This is something that they’ve acquired as U.S. taxpayers and their government and local officials, as we heard, fought hard to make sure they qualify to get it,” U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience Public Affairs Specialist Anita Steenson said.
It's free to apply and there's no penalty if you change your mind.
"There’s no obligation to take the loan. If you don’t apply during the deadline, you can miss your opportunity to access the resources. You can take time. Once you qualify for the loan to think about it, so there’s no downside to apply. Keep your options open. You never know how things are going to look even six months down the road from now, so please, please, please, please put yourself in line to access some resources. Even if you’re not sure you want them now, you might want or need them in the future,” Steenson added.
To register for FEMA assistance, call 1-800-621-3362. You can also register online or using FEMA's mobile app.
