MEDIA RELEASE
Payne County residents are encouraged to submit details on any damage to homes or businesses from February’s extreme cold weather to be considered for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The damage reports should be sent to the State of Oklahoma at www.damage.ok.gov by March 25.
Examples of significant damage include flooding and water damage inside the home from broken pipes, roof damage or roof collapse, major damage to HVAC systems and electrical systems, sewage backups, long-term water outages, or other issues. Users should upload photos of their damage through the website.
Submitting the information does not guarantee assistance because Payne County is not one of the initial declared counties for FEMA individual assistance. The extent of the reported damage could change Payne County’s status. FEMA will be evaluating the reported damage to justify including additional counties to the declaration.
The current declared counties are Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Comanche, Cotton, Hughes, Jefferson, Le Flore, McIntosh, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Pittsburg, Stephens, Tulsa, and Wagoner.
FEMA individual assistance for those in declared counties provides financial and direct services to eligible individuals and households affected by a disaster who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs.
Assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts. For additional information go to www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program
-30-
For media inquiries, contact the Department of Marketing and Civic Engagement at 405.742.8219 or email news@stillwater.org.
