FORKS — A disaster recovery center is open through today in Forks to help those who suffered damage in the November flooding and landslides apply for federal assistance.
The center opened Friday and will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the ICN Building at 71 N. Spartan Ave., Forks.
Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration and Washington state agencies will be available to help residents of Clallam County, the Quileute Nation and other tribes in the county apply for federal assistance and receive information about help available for homeowners, renters and business owners.
As of Friday morning, 67 individuals had applied for aid in Clallam County and 12 had applied from the Quileute Indian Reservation
Those who cannot make it this weekend can still get assistance.
It is not necessary to go to a center to apply for assistance. Residents and tribal members in the designated counties can apply online at disasterassistance.gov, call 800-621-3362 or use the FEMA mobile app. Those who use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, are asked to give FEMA the number for that service.
FEMA financial assistance may include money for temporary housing, basic home repairs or other disaster-related needs such as childcare, transportation and medical, funeral or dental expenses.
Centers also are opening in Skagit and Whatcom counties to serve county residents and tribal members.
By Wednesday, FEMA had approved more than $2.61 million in grants for 493 individuals and households nationwide.
That includes $2.38 million in housing assistance and $225,067 for other disaster-related needs.
FEMA assistance is not the same as insurance, officials said. It cannot make the survivor whole. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate assistance from insurance or other sources.
Staff from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration never charge for registration, home inspections, or disaster-loan applications or anything else.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA is conducting exterior inspections. An interior inspection is not mandatory but if the owner and the inspector agree, an interior inspection may be conducted.
For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw.
For more information about Washington flood and mudslide recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4635.
Follow the FEMA Region 10 Twitter account at twitter.com/femaregion10.
