The federal disaster declaration approved by the president this week is the fourth one for the state, this time for September flood and storm damage in the southeastern part of the state. 

Phil Wernisch with the Federal Emergency Management Agency says they want people with damages to register for assistance.  He says they will need some basic information from people when they register.

Wernisch says other agencies may have been in contact with people in storm damaged areas.

Wernisch says FEMA will be bringing more people back into the state and again opening local contact offices over the next few weeks.

Residents who suffered damage from the tornadoes, severe storms or flooding in Brookings, Charles Mix, Davison, Hanson, Hutchinson, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Moody, Yankton counties and the Flandreau and Yankton Indian Reservations are eligible to register.

There are several ways to register:

  • Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or DisasterAssistance.gov/es (for Spanish).
  • Use the FEMA mobile app in English or Spanish.
  • Call the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or 800-462-7585 (TTY) anytime from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

It is important that people complete the registration process with FEMA even if they have previously called their local emergency manager, 2-1-1, or a local voluntary agency like the Red Cross to report disaster damage.  FEMA also encourages individuals to contact their insurance agent to report any losses.

(Thanks in part, WNAX)