Food assistance in now available for storm-impacted Morris County families through the disaster-related Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.T
his onetime food benefit is available to eligible residents who experienced extreme material losses during Hurricane Irene or subsequent flooding.In Morris County, the Office of Temporary Assistance will be processing applications Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at its office at 340 West Hanover Ave., in Morris Township, starting today, Thursday, Sept. 8.Individuals and families currently not receiving SNAP benefits and whose storm-related expenses include damages beyond the loss of food due to power outages may be eligible.
Individuals and families in disaster-declared areas and who are already enrolled with SNAP will automatically receive a onetime supplemental benefit based upon a federal determination of areas that lost power for over four consecutive hours, and do not need to call or visit the OTA office.
The D-SNAP application process eases requirements around documents necessary to apply and weighs disaster-related costs with available liquid resources when considering eligibility. Benefits are electronically applied to a card similar to a debit/credit card for the purchase of certain food items. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance at 973-326-7240.
Rebuilding or repairing property damaged from the recent severe storms? Thinking about adding a safe room to your home? Have questions about flood insurance? Ask an expert from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA mitigation teams will be at home improvement stores in Conway and Little Rock to offer information and answer questions. The experts can provide advice on rebuilding after a disaster, offer tips to build hazard-resistant homes and provide information on building a safe room in your home.
It is estimated that every dollar spent on mitigation measures saves four dollars in the event of another disaster.
Homeowners and contractors can learn more at the following locations:
Ridout Lumber
1215 E. Oak St.
Conway, Ark. 72032
Monday, Thursday, Friday: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday: 7 a.m. – noon
Lowe’s
1325 Highway 64 West
Conway, Ark. 72032
Sunday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Home Depot
11 Mabelvale Plaza Lane
Little Rock, Ark. 72209
Sun.: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In addition, FEMA and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) have created a “one stop” website for information to help Arkansans protect lives and property from tornadoes and floods: www.fema.gov/ar-disaster-mitigation.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) is the state’s homeland security and preparedness agency. The agency works to identify and lessen the effects of emergencies, disasters and threats to Arkansas by developing effective prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery actions for all disasters and emergencies. For additional information, contact ADEM at (501) 683-6700 or visit the website at www.adem.arkansas.gov.
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. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov. For information on rebuilding and repairing safer and stronger, visit fema.gov/ar-disaster-mitigation.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants can go to www.sba.gov/disaster or call (800) 659-2955 (TTY 1-800-977-8339).
Reference: http://www.randolphnj.org/news/disaster_food_assistance_storm_impacted_families