Jan. 14—princeton — FEMA has now allocated more than $1.3 million in individual assistance to residents of Mercer County who sustained property damage and related losses from Hurricane Helene last September.
Tiana Suber, media relations specialist with the FEMA Office of External Affairs, said FEMA as of Monday had approved $1,343,564 for Individual Assistance, which includes $761,704 for housing assistance and $581,859 for other needs assistance.
Suber said there have been 729 cumulative registrations in Mercer County to date with 493 home inspections having been issued. Of that number, 458 inspections have been completed and 35 are pending.
FEMA also has provided more than $485,000 to help survivors with storm-related necessities like childcare, storage, disaster medical and dental expenses, and cleaning supplies, the agency said Monday in a press release.
The federal assistance is in response to the widespread damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene during the morning, afternoon and evening hours of Friday, Sept. 27. 2024. The storm — which pounded Mercer County with tropical force winds — knocked down thousands of trees and power lines across the two-state region. In several instances, homes and vehicles were struck by fallen trees.
“While it’s only been a month since the disaster was declared, I’m proud of what FEMA and its partners in West Virginia and Mercer County emergency management have accomplished,” Federal Coordinating Officer Georgeta Dragoiu said in a press release issued Monday by FEMA. “We’ve gotten more than $1 million into the hands of survivors for their recovery and helped hundreds in Disaster Recovery Centers, in-home visits, and even phone calls. We’re going to keep working to help every eligible West Virginian get the money they need to recover from Tropical Storm Helene.”
FEMA still has a disaster recovery center open in Mercer County. It is currently located at the Lifeline Church of God in Princeton, also known as the former Lowe’s site along Oakvale Road.
The deadline to apply for FEMA disaster assistance is Feb. 7, 2025.
In addition to applying for assistance at the local disaster recovery center, those needing help recovering from Tropical Storm Helene can also call FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362, open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Contact Charles Owens at
cowens@bdtonline.com
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens