03/29/2024
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femaMore than $1.5 million has been approved for the Individual Housing Program to assist residents of Bladen County that have been impacted by Hurricane Matthew. 

An update from FEMA that was released on Friday, December 2, shows that 2,519 residents have applied to the IHP program and $1,584,343.49 has been approved. In total, of the 45 counties that have been declared a federal disaster area, 75,821 applications have been received and $80.03 million has been approved for the IHP program.

Robeson County, one of the hardest hit areas, has had the most applications with 15,918 requests for assistance and $17,368,158.77 having been approved.

FEMA’s disaster recovery office in Bladen County has closed but local residents who are still in need of assistance can visit FEMA online by going to FEMA.gov/DRC or readync.org. Residents can also call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The deadline to register to receive assistance from FEMA or the Small Business Administration is January 9, 2017.

The Small Business Administration offers low interest loans to homeowners, renters, and businesses as well as non-profit organizations to cover the costs of replacing lost or damaged personal property. To contact the SBA, call 800-659-2955 or visit the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster.

The Robeson County Disaster Recovery Center is located at 2750 North Roberts Avenue in Lumberton and the Columbus County Disaster Recovery Center is located at 913 Jefferson Street in Whiteville and they remain open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday’s from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first step to receive federal disaster assistance is to register by either calling 800-621-3362,  online at DisasterAssistance.gov or visiting a disaster center.

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