FEMA extends registration deadline for disaster assistance in wake of Western Massachusetts tornadoes
SPRINGFIELD – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that the deadline to register for disaster assistance has been extended to Aug. 22 for individuals and business owners in Hampden and Worcester counties who suffered losses as a result of the June 1 tornado. The deadline originally was Monday. People may register for assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Multilingual assistance is available, and registration also can be completed at www.disasterassistance.gov, or www.fema.gov The deadline to submit disaster loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration also has been extended to Aug. 22. Call SBA at (800) 659-2955 or visit www.sba.gov for program information. The SBA disaster loan recovery centers at Springfield’s Technology Park, 1 Federal St., and Monson’s Granite Valley Middle School, 21 Thompson St., are slated to close Aug. 18. The Business Recovery Center at the Technology Park also is supposed to close that date. A representative from SBA did not return an email or phone call on Friday afternoon asking if the centers are going to be staying open longer now that FEMA has extended its deadline to register for disaster assistance. The June 1 tornado cut a brutal 39-mile path from Westfield to Charlton. source
tornado.