FEMA mitigation specialist Pedro Gazmey, left, talks with Windy Bond, center, and her fiance Wayne Sorrels on Saturday at the disaster center on the campus of Southern Adventist University in Collegedale.
Staff photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free PressNAPOLITANO VISITHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to visit Ringgold today to talk with local residents and officials and view tornado damage, according to a Homeland Security news release. Her office did not provide a time or an intinerary for her visit.HOW TO REGISTERFEMA most often helps with costs related to basic living necessities such as temporary housing for the displaced, replacement equipment such as refrigerators, and rebuilding costs for destroyed homes. They also commonly help with medical and burial costs. To register for FEMA aid, visit an office, log on to www.fema.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) with the following information:• Social Security number• Insurance policy number• The stage of your insurance claim• List of storm-related damageA complete list of area FEMA offices is on Page A9. Make sure to bring a photo ID when visiting an office.
Eight-year-old Saylor Bond sat looking down at a coloring book, quietly swinging her legs while her mom and future stepfather registered Saturday for FEMA aid.
The family’s horse farm near Candies Creek wasn’t damaged too badly. Their horses all made it, and they lost just a few trees and fence posts. Still, they could use some help, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides grants for disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
Four FEMA offices are already set up in Southeast Tennessee, and six more are planned to open soon. Since opening Thursday, the Collegedale office has helped more than 110 people get financial aid and, in some cases, counseling.
After sitting with her daughter, praying as a tornado shook their house, Bond said she has gotten nervous when she feels a strong gust of wind. And it’s been even harder on Saylor, she said.