Forum to provide recovery information

Published 12:34 am Friday, September 30, 2011

Belhaven residents seeking disaster assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene have an opportunity to meet with Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives Saturday to discuss possible assistance.

FEMA and the Town of Belhaven are scheduled to host an informational forum from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Belhaven Civic Center, 257 W. Pungo St. Town Manager Guinn Leverett said the forum is designed to provide Belhaven residents information about the types of disaster assistance available, how to apply for that assistance and the eligibility requirements to receive various types of assistance.

Leverett said the town and FEMA want the forum to provide as much information as possible to victims of the hurricane that ravaged eastern North Carolina on Aug. 27. Some victims don’t know that they may be entitled to or don’t apply for assistance because they don’t understand the application process.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Leverett said.

Many individuals are not familiar with programs set up to help them recover after a disaster, Leverett said.