Disaster Assistance Tops $1 Million for West Virginia Survivors

CHARLESTON, W.Va.– Since the disaster declaration on Jan. 30, 2024, more than $1 million in FEMA disaster assistance has been provided to more than 250 West Virginia households to assist with disaster recovery efforts.

"We are excited FEMA disbursements have exceeded the $1 million mark for Individual Assistance; we are not slowing down!" said Jeff Jones, FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer for the disaster.

He also encouraged West Virginians to reach out to FEMA to register for assistance. 

“If you, or someone you know, suffered damages during the late August flooding and reside in Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Kanawha, and Harrison counties give us a call today at 1-800-621-3362 or visit disasterassistance.gov,” Jones said. “FEMA is here to support West Virginians recover from the August flooding event.”

Federal Support in West Virginia 

• The presidential disaster declaration ensures FEMA Individual Assistance is available to residents of Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Harrison and Kanawha counties, and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Programs are available to all 55 West Virginia counties. Under the Individual Assistance program, residents of Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Harrison, and Kanawha counties can apply for assistance to cover uninsured or under-insured expenses that resulted from the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that occurred from Aug. 28-30, 2023.
• FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Community Education Outreach teams are providing information to survivors at Disaster Recovery Centers on mitigation grants and ways to repair and rebuild damaged homes to be more resilient to future disasters. They have engaged with more than 115 individuals.
• FEMA inspectors have conducted more than 285 home inspections for survivors who registered for federal disaster assistance.
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to eligible survivors. DUA is a part of the federal disaster assistance process but is administered by WorkForce West Virginia. Individuals living or working in these counties who lost their job due to the severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides may apply for federal unemployment benefits. Claims must be filed by March 6, 2024.Visit https://workforcewv.org/ for more information.
• Disaster Legal Services (DLS) is also available. Survivors can receive free legal assistance for certain disaster-related issues. This service is provided by the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association in collaboration with FEMA and Legal Aid of West Virginia. Survivors can call 1-866-255-4370 or apply online at any time at: https://legalaidwv.org/get-help/apply-for-help/. The hotline is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• SBA low interest loans are also available to those West Virginia residents who were impacted.  Visit sba.gov/disaster, in person at a Disaster Recovery Center or call 1800-659-2955 for more information. Businesses can receive up to $2 million for physical damages and working capital needs, homeowners are eligible for up to $500k to repair or replace homes. Homeowners and renters can receive up to $100k to replace personal property including automobiles.

FEMA is working closely with the state of West Virginia and the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to support those residents in Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Kanawha, and Harrison counties who were impacted by the August 2023 flooding. There are many partners involved including local and state agencies, nonprofits, voluntary and faith-based organizations, and the private sector to assist in survivor recovery.

1. For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4756 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.