FEMA goes door to door to help people apply for assistance

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been going door to door helping people apply for assistance.

“I believe visibility is very important, we want to make sure that if a survivor needs assistance, we’re here to help them,” said Anthony Triplin with FEMA.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Teams are working in different counties across the region making sure they can help people who might not be able to come to a recovery center and apply for assistance in person.

“We go in a two man crew, we knock on the doors and we announce ourselves that we’re FEMA, we’re here to help,” Triplin said. “Either the survivor comes to the door or they don’t we will still leave a flier, with some information of what assistance that we can offer to them.”

Lloyd Whitfield, a crew lead for the Disaster Survivor Teams, told News Channel 11 that the first step for someone to take in order to receive assistance is to apply.

“The letter that they received from FEMA, it may say denied, but they need to go through the entire letter because there are some things that FEMA needs or requires in order to complete the process of their paperwork,” Whitfield said.

Even after a person has re-submitted the needed paperwork and they are still denied they can appeal their case.

“If you’re denied, you should appeal, if the award that FEMA provides is insufficient or if they’re denied there, it is a very simple process of appeal,” Whitfield said. “If you think the amount is insufficient, then you should go to a licensed contractor, and get a quote that shows the difference between how much it actually costs versus what you’ve been awarded by FEMA.”

Each case is reviewed by a case worker but once registration is complete an inspector should contact the applicant within 7-10 days to schedule a time to come out and evaluate the property damage.

“In order for a caseworker to be able to accurately determine what the award will be is, you need to itemize all of the items, take plenty of pictures before and after,” said Whitfield. “It is recommended that you make your house as safe as possible don’t wait for an award from FEMA or wait for the inspection. Go ahead and take care of your home so that it is safe for your family if you’re going to live there but take pictures of the work that you do.”

FEMA will continue to stay in the region helping people who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene until they are no longer needed.

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