Wolf admin: Residents in 8 Pa. counties hit by Hurricane Ida get an extra month to apply for aid

Residents of eight Pennsylvania counties who survived the remnants of Hurricane Ida earlier this year will have an extra month to apply for federal assistance, the Wolf administration said Friday.

Residents in Bedford, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and York counties now have until Dec. 10 to apply for federal assistance, the administration said in a statement.

The extension, sought by the state, and granted by the federal government, is “especially important for people in Bedford and Northampton counties, since they were added after the initial six counties, so survivors there had less time to apply,” Wolf said in a statement his office released on Friday afternoon. “There are a number of federal, state and county services that are available to you, so I encourage anyone who is eligible to call [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] or visit a Disaster Recovery Center for help.”

Residents of the eight counties who need help can register with FEMA online at disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Helpline services are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET, the administration said.

More from the administration:

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is designed to help survivors with immediate essential needs and to help displaced survivors find a safe, functional place to live temporarily until they can return home. Many survivors may have additional needs beyond what can be provided by FEMA. The agency works closely with state, federal, faith-based and voluntary agencies to help match survivors who have remaining needs with other sources of assistance.

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) provide disaster survivors with information from Pennsylvania state agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.

More information, including the dates, times and locations of DRCs, is available online at www.pema.pa.gov/ida.