FEMA Recovery Center opens in Mcnairy County for Tornado victims

JACKSON, TENN (WNBJ)-

At the Latta Theater in Selmar, many organizations are waiting to assist tornado survivors.

“You can come in and sit down one-on-one face to face and talk about your particular situation," said FEMA Spokesperson Darrell Habisch said.

FEMA Spokesperson Darrell Habisch says the first step is filing any insurance claims that you may have

Then you can walk right into the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

With proof of residency, your insurance information and a Social Security Number

“That can be a minor child within their household. That's okay. We're not concerned about what your legal residency status is. We are concerned that someone within your household has a social security number," said Habisch.

FEMA, the Red Cross, and the small business administration are waiting at the center to walk you through the process of applying for immediate or long-term assistance.

And FEMA has already provided over half a million dollars of relief already, “Can we replace everything that you had before? No, we can't. However, we can provide the essential things that you need to get back on the road to recovery today," Habisch said.

Victims will start receiving determination letters from FEMA soon. The letters may say you are ineligible for assistance, but FEMA says that they are not a denial. They say to read the letter carefully because it may be as simple as missing documents.

FEMA encourages victims to bring the letter to the Disaster Recovery Center.

When insurance or grant money is not available loans may be, “In times of disaster, we actually come to the aid of homeowners, renters, businesses of any size and nonprofits, and in the form of long-term low-interest loans," said Nancy Henrietta of the Small Business Administration

Habisch says it’s important to watch out for people trying to take advantage of victims, “FEMA deals strictly in grant money. You don't have to pay FEMA back. We will never ask for money from you.”

Fema encourages all victims to come to the recovery center or apply at FEMA.gov to see what assistance they may qualify for. “This is your money, so come and take advantage of it," Habisch said.