FEMA Approves $8.9M in Assistance for W.Va. Flood Victims

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(TNS) — More than $8.9 million in federal assistance has now been approved for area flood victims, FEMA said Monday.

FEMA has now approved $8,931,727 in Individual Assistance for a six county region, which includes Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming counties, according to Nate Custer, a media relations specialist with FEMA. That amount includes $5,560,002 for Housing Assistance and $3,371,725 for Other Needs Assistance.

The federal funds are in response to the Feb. 15 flood, which caused widespread damage across the region.

This FEMA aid included 2,735 valid registrations. Broken down by county, McDowell County had the most registrations with 1,168 followed by Mingo County with 615. Mercer County had 410 registrations followed by 394 in Wyoming County, 85 in Wayne County and 80 in Logan County .

Mitigation and Disaster Survivor Assistance staff in McDowell County are at Jimmy’s Hardware and Supply in Roderfield to help residents with their Individual Assistance applications, provide information about rebuilding their homes and share resources on safe clean-up procedures, agency officials said.

Flood victims needing help with food now have another route to aid which started Monday.

The West Virginia Department of Human Services announced that West Virginia residents who lived or worked in Mercer, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties and were impacted by the Feb. 15 flood may be eligible for USDA’s Disaster Supplement Nutrition Assistance, D-SNAP, benefits beginning Monday through March 21.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are open in Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming counties.

• The Mercer County Disaster Recovery Center is located at the Lifeline Princeton Church of God on 250 Oakvale Road in Princeton. Mercer County’s center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed Sunday. This center will be closed March 22 and April 19 for the church’s previously scheduled events.

• The McDowell County Disaster Recovery Center is located at Bradshaw Town Hall , 10002 Marshall Highway in Bradshaw. It is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Sunday.

• The Wyoming County Disaster Recovery Center is located at the Wyoming County Courthouse on 24 Main Avenue in Pineville. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and closed Sundays.