Rabun added to federal disaster help list

ATLANTA - Four more Georgia counties have been designated for federal disaster assistance after Wednesday's tornadoes, and one of those is Rabun County in northeast Georgia. The others are Meriwether, Monroe and Morgan.

Under the federal declaration, individuals, families and businesses are eligible for grants to help with payment for rental housing, home repairs and other uninsured disaster-related expenses.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said counties previously designated for individual assistance are Bartow, Catoosa, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Greene, Lamar, Pickens, Polk, Spalding, Troup and Walker.

Affected survivors and business owners in the newly designated counties may apply for assistance by calling FEMA's toll-free registration number, 800-621-FEMA (3362). The hearing or speech impaired can use the TTY line at 800-462-7585. The registration lines are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., local time. An application may also be completed online by going to www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

Survivors can also apply for federal assistance directly through their Web-enabled mobile devices or smartphones. Visit m.fema.gov and follow the link to www.DisasterAssistance.gov to apply for federal assistance.