CAMP SHELBY, Miss. --Three disaster recovery centers are now open in Forrest and Lamar counties to provide assistance to survivors of the recent severe storms and tornadoes. Centers in Lauderdale and Perry counties will open soon.
Recovery centers are run jointly by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency; representatives from MEMA, FEMA, U.S. Small Business Administration, and American Red Cross are set up in the center to explain available assistance programs and help connect survivors with appropriate resources to assist in their recovery.
The Forrest County centers are located at:
C. E. Roy Community Center300 E. 5th StreetHattiesburg, MS 39401Petal Civic Center712A South Main StreetPetal, MS 39465
The Lamar County center is located at:
Lamar County Safe Room99 Central Industrial Row,Purvis, MS 39475Both centers in Forrest County are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice.
The center in Lamar County is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice.
If possible, survivors with disaster-related losses are encouraged to register for assistance before going to a disaster recovery center by calling FEMA’s helpline at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Helpline hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week. Survivors can also register online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Homeowners, renters and business owners can apply for low-interest disaster loans at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. SBA representatives are available at the disaster recovery centers to answer questions and help survivors complete their disaster loan applications. Questions can also be answered by calling the SBA disaster customer service center at 800-659-2955 or (TTY) 800-877-8339 for the deaf or hard of hearing, or by visiting sba.gov/disaster.
For more information on Mississippi’s tornado recovery, go to fema.gov/disaster/4295 or visit the MEMA site at msema.org. Follow MEMA on Facebook facebook.com/msemaorg and on Twitter @msema.
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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.