BRADSHAW, WV (WOAY) – As flood recovery efforts continue in McDowell County, federal aid is beginning to make its way through flood-impacted areas to help clean up damage.
“Even the strongest person needs help sometimes, and we are here to offer that support,” Mark O’Hanlon, the federal coordinating officer for FEMA Region 3, said.
The disaster recovery center in McDowell County opened up at the town hall in Bradshaw this morning. The center will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Residents can go and meet with representatives to get direct, in-person help with federal disaster assistance.
Town Hall is located at 10002 Marshall Highway in Bradshaw.
Flood victims don’t need to go to the center in person to get flood assistance. You can call 800-621-3362, or go to www.disasterassistance.gov.
FEMA personnel are joining local first responders, volunteers from around the state and nation, and National Guard members on the ground.
“It makes my heart feel good to see all these people coming out to help,” Ehrin Starcher, an individual assistance coordinator for West Virginia Emergency Management, said.
Starcher oversees individual assistance offered at the state level.
“We help link [residents] with other state programs that can potentially help them,” she said. “I’m working to try to get DHHR or DOHS programs implemented here.”
The collaboration between everyone working on the ground in McDowell County means a lot to Starcher.
“I love that everybody is stepping up. Everybody’s helping,” she said. “I’m a born and raised West Virginian… when times are tough, West Virginians rally with other West Virginians to help out.”
That collaboration began before the storm even hit. FEMA has over 30 people in West Virginia full time, and the agency was preparing personnel and supplies days before the storm even hit.
“We have a permanent presence here in West Virginia, in Charleston, working very closely with West Virginia Emergency Management. We’re partnering with them from the very onset of the weather forecast,” O’Hanlon said. “We’ve been with West Virginia every step of the way, although nobody really saw it because we are in support.”
O’Hanlon says he knows some people in southern West Virginia may not always trust the federal government. But, he wants people to know that FEMA is here to help.
“The one thing we know about the people in this community in Mcdowell County is they’re very strong and really self-reliant,” he said. “Please trust us to at least try and help. We have some really wonderful people that have volunteered to serve the community and want nothing more than to help meet your needs. Please come and give us a try and see what we can do for you.”
This is the third time that FEMA has been in southern West Virginia to provide aid in the past twelve months. Federal aid was authorized last April following straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, and mudslides.
It was again authorized last September for damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
Since FEMA has been authorized for the most recent flooding in February, it has helped more than 1,300 households to the tune of $1 million.
“We are here to serve the community at the request of the state, trying to make sure we’re a good partner to the state, the county, and to the people who are impacted,” O’Hanlon said.
McDowell County residents who apply for help may get phone calls from numbers that they don’t recognize. O’Hanlon says that is normal.
“People may receive phone calls from area codes that are not 304 from West Virginia. That’s us trying to reach you,” he said. “I know there are a lot of people calling your phone [with a number you don’t know]. But in this case, it’s going to be us. So please call us and answer the phone.”
It’s important to stay in contact with state and federal agencies. If you don’t receive enough aid, Starcher says there are things you can do.
“If you don’t get the amount of money that you’re hoping for and you need to fully recover, you can always appeal,” she said. “Please appeal to FEMA. FEMA does not know that you need more money unless you tell them.”
