FEMA provides Alaska disaster assistance hotline

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established an Alaska-specific disaster assistance hotline for residents who have experienced damage or loss from the severe mid-September storm in the areas of the Bering Strait, Kashunamiut, Lower Kuskokwim, and Lower Yukon.

The online news release states residents affected by the storm can apply for FEMA disaster assistance in the following ways:

Residents can call 1-866-342-1699, the Anchorage-based FEMA hotline will be operable from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9 and Oct. 16.
Dial 711 for TTY users. For TTY users with an out-of-state area code, dial 1-800-770-8973 for Alaska Relay.
Go online to disasterassistance.gov.
Download the FEMA app.

“FEMA’s Individual Assistance program may include grants for temporary housing expenses, basic home repairs, or other essential disaster-related needs that are not covered by insurance. In Alaska, subsistence items lost or damaged from the September storms may be eligible for assistance,” the release says.

The State of Alaska has an Individual Assistance Program, which is a separate application. Residents should apply for both FEMA and Alaska’s disaster assistance program.

“If you are found ineligible for federal assistance, you may still qualify for assistance through the State of Alaska, but if you do not submit both applications it is possible that no assistance will be available to you,” says FEMA.

Some residents who apply may be referred to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to apply for a disaster loan.

Here are the ways to apply for an SBA loan:

Apply online at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/.
Call 1-(800) 659-2955, for TTY users please dial 711.
Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

More information is available about FEMA’s support for the impact of the storm on Western Alaska on the FEMA Disaster Site.