Mayor Stimpson: Mobile citizens eligible for federal disaster aid

May 8th, 2014

MOBILE, Ala. - Mayor Sandy Stimpson thanked state and federal officials for adding Mobile County to the list of counties eligible to receive disaster assistance as a result of last week's severe storms and flooding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that Mobile County is one of 10 counties in Alabama approved for federal aid. The declaration enables individual citizens to apply for assistance through FEMA.

"The City of Mobile suffered significant damage as a result of the storms, and this step by FEMA will help speed the recovery process for many of our citizens," Stimpson said. "We appreciate the quick response by our state and federal partners, and we encourage every citizen who suffered damages to take advantage of this assistance."

Mobile was one of numerous counties across Alabama that were struck by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that occurred on April 28-29.

Gov. Robert Bentley previously announced that Baldwin, Jefferson, Lee and Limestone counties were eligible for federal aid. He said today that Blount, DeKalb, Etowah, Mobile and Tuscaloosa counties were added to the list as approved for funding.

"The recovery process is just beginning for many Alabama communities, and this federal aid help will ensure Alabamians have resources available to rebuild their lives from the severe weather outbreak," Governor Bentley said.

The assistance can include money for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs, according to FEMA.

Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration may also be available to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Disaster survivors have several ways to apply for federal assistance:

Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov any time day or night.
By phone at1- 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1- 800-462-7585. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
Via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

###

Media contact:
George Talbot
Senior Director of Communications and External Affairs
City of Mobile
251-208-7590
George.Talbot@CityofMobile.org