Mississippi may not qualify for assistance from FEMA after December Flash Floods

FORREST COUNTY, MISS. – Unfortunately, many Mississippians may not receive help from FEMA after the Dec. 2018 flash floods. Therefore, Mississippi will look for non-profit organizations to help pick up the slack. “For the homeowners who are out there worried right now, I know they are going through a hard situation, but you just have to be patient,” Forrest County’s planning director, Corey Proctor said. “Hopefully, within the next few weeks, we’ll know more.” According to information provided by Forrest County officials, the county still has not met the required threshold needed for homeowners to receive assistance from FEMA. The county would need at least 100 homes with major damage and categorized as “destroyed,” and as of right now they only have twenty-seven. “I think, for the time being, you have to rely on the non-profits until we get word from FEMA that we did meet the threshold,” Proctor said. Proctor admitted it is not guaranteed that the county will reach the threshold. “Well we are partnering with multiple agencies,” Mavis Creagh, the executive director of (a non-profit organization called) R3SM said. “We are acting as a clearinghouse for different counties that we partner and work with.” Non-profit organizations such as R3SM are stepping into the gap, helping homeowners rebuild and recover. “People are just really hurting,” Creagh said. “Some of them lost everything they had, and they are just trying to start over and just get back on their feet.” Now, R3SM says they need help from more volunteers as they continue to push for a full recovery across the Pine Belt, and throughout the entire state of Mississippi. If you would like to volunteer call 601-544-5115.