Working cooperatively, local, state and federal disaster recovery providers continue to assist southwest Georgians who suffered loss in the severe January storms, tornadoes and flooding. Thirty days after the disaster declaration, here’s a look at some of the efforts to date.

$2.9 million in FEMA assistance was approved for individuals and households, including

$1.97 million for home repairs and temporary housing; and

$952,629 for other disaster‐related expenses and serious needs.

$5 million in disaster loans were approved for homeowners, renters and businesses by the U.S. Small Business Administration;

Disaster Survivor Assistance Team members visited 2,363 homes in the designated counties and helped 294 survivors register with FEMA for disaster aid;

Seven temporary state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers opened to offer one-on-one assistance to survivors who made 2,257 visits to these centers;

FEMA’s contract housing inspectors verified disaster damage at 2,877 properties; and

More than 650 residents attended any of the nine town hall meetings conducted by local, state and federal representatives.

The deadline to register with FEMA for disaster assistance is March 27, 2017. Residents of Berrien, Cook, Crisp, Dougherty, Thomas, Turner, Wilcox, and Worth counties who suffered damage from the January storms may register by:

Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or VRS or require accommodations while visiting a center, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.;

Going online to DisasterAssistance.gov;

Downloading the FEMA app from Google Play or the Apple App Store or at fema.gov/mobile-app;

Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center. To find the nearest, go to: https://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm.

All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids.

Help is available in most languages, and information on the registration process is available in ASL at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/111546.