FEMA Grants May Cover Gaps In Insurance

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- Disaster recovery officials continue to urge anyone affected by the Aug. 8 - 10 storms and flooding in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua or Erie counties to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- even those who are receiving insurance settlements.

"The only way to receive the disaster assistance to which you may be entitled is to register," said State Coordinating Officer John R. Gibb, who is also the director of the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO).

Recovery officials in the field are finding that some residents have accepted insurance settlements and, therefore, believe no further aid is available to them. That is not always the case.

There may be expenses not covered by insurance. For example, rental assistance is not covered under a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy.

"We're committed to ensuring that every survivor receives every penny of assistance to which he or she is eligible," said Federal Coordinating Officer Jaime E. Forero. "Those who have not registered with FEMA -- for whatever reason -- risk losing that assistance."

Residents can register or follow up on their applications by going online to www.disasterassistance.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. Both numbers are available daily from 7 a.m. - 1 a.m. The FEMA and SBA registration deadline is November 3.

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 capabilities to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.