WEST VIRGINIA RECOVERING 60 DAYS AFTER FLOODS AND TORNADOES
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240724/west-virginia-recovering-60-days-after-floods-and-tornadoes]


Release Date: 
July 24, 2024 

July 24, 2024
DR-4783-WV NR-017
FEMA News Desk: 215-931-5597
FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov

News release

West Virginia recovering 60 days after floods and tornadoes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia has taken significant steps
toward recovery following the April 2-6, 2024, severe storms, floods
and tornadoes.

In the 60 days following the May 22, 2024, presidential disaster
declaration, the response to help West Virginia’s disaster survivors
has been swift and substantial.

To date, survivors have received more than $5.6 million in federal
disaster assistance for a variety of recovery purposes. 

	* More than $3.7 million in grants has been approved to make
essential repairs for homes to be safe, secure and functional and for
a place to stay for homeowners and renters whose residences were
uninhabitable. 
	* More than $1.9 million in grants has gone to homeowners and renters
to repair and replace certain household items and for disaster-related
burial, medical and dental expenses. 
	* More than $890 thousand of the $5.6 million in grants approved was
the result of follow-up communications from FEMA staff.
	* With the average grant totaling more than $5,400, West Virginians
are well above the national average for disaster grant awards.
	* Homeowners, renters and businesses have received more than $1.5
million in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) to repair, rebuild and replace damaged property
and contents. Disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by
insurance or other sources.
	* NFIP policyholders have received more than $280,000 in claims to
repair and rebuild flood-damaged property. 

But dollar amounts don’t tell the whole story.

Recovery takes the whole disaster recovery community. Affected
communities and disaster survivors are repairing and rebuilding
better, stronger and safer. This effort is possible with the help of
neighbors, friends, family members, voluntary groups, faith- and
community-based organizations and local, county, state and federal
governments.

The following highlights recovery progress made in the 60 days since
the disaster was declared and how disaster survivors and affected
communities are overcoming challenges:

	* Survivors in 11 counties – Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha,
Lincoln, Marshall, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Wayne and Wetzel – were
immediately eligible to apply for help under FEMA’s Individual
Assistance (IA) program. 
	* Local, county and state government infrastructure and certain
private nonprofit organizations in seven counties – Brooke, Hancock,
Marshall, Ohio, Preston, Tyler and Wetzel– were eligible to receive
funding through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program to repair and
rebuild certain eligible disaster-damaged facilities. Fifty-three
projects are in development for state and local entities covering a
range of public works from sewers and utilities to road repair and
debris removal. 
	* The PA program benefits everyone in the affected communities
because essential services like roads, utilities, schools and
hospitals are often restored stronger than they were before the
disaster. FEMA relieves burdens of local and county governments and
the state by paying 75 percent of the eligible costs. 
	* More than 2,100 West Virginia households have contacted FEMA for IA
help. 

Disaster recovery officials interacted with survivors in a variety of
ways to help them recover: 

	* More than 990 survivors visited 13 Disaster Recovery Centers
(DRCs). The first centers opened within days of the presidential
disaster declaration. 
	* As of July 23, more than 1,400 FEMA housing inspections have been
completed. 
	* Teams of FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance specialists visited
22,000 residences in all 11 disaster counties to encourage residents
to register for help, provide recovery information and listen to their
concerns. 

Whole community partners continue to collaborate to find solutions to
enable West Virginia’s recovery and will be here as long as it
takes.

For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov,
[https://emd.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx] West Virginia Emergency Management
[https://www.facebook.com/WVEMD] Division Facebook page,
[https://www.facebook.com/WVEMD] www.fema.gov/disaster/4783
[https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4783] and www.facebook.com/FEMA.
[https://www.facebook.com/FEMA]

###

_FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after
disasters. FEMA Region 3’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the
District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West
Virginia._

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