CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Help is now available in Montgomery County at a new FEMA Disaster Recovery Center for people who have suffered damage due to Helene.
“The process is quick and easy,” Media Relations Specialist with FEMA Trey Paul said. “You come in, you provide insurance information, proof of residence, maybe your bank account information if you want to get direct deposit, your social security number.”
Paul said they’ve approved more than $6.2 million in individual assistance in Virginia. He said that’s money survivors don’t have to pay back.
“Flooding seems to be the big problem that survivors are dealing with right now,” Paul said. “We are certainly equipped to help them. So, if you know someone who’s dealing with flooding, maybe you did too. Reach out to us, a lot of time insurance covers a lot, but they don’t cover everything, and what insurance doesn’t cover, FEMA may be able to help.”
Local people and businesses said they’ve seen an outpouring of support in the community since the disaster. Pizza Inn in Christiansburg had to close for a couple days due to the boil water notice.
“People are coming in to help out,” Stuart Arbuckle, owner of Pizza Inn in Christiansburg said. “We’ve had a lot of people come from outside of our community to help us, and they’ve eaten here, and that’s been really neat to see people come out of town to help.”
Paul said they plan to keep FEMA sites open as long as they’re needed.
“It’s sad, it’s disheartening, but I will say it does mean a lot to us to be able to offer assistance,” Paul said. “That’s what we do. ”
For more information on counties that qualify for assistance, click here.