LITTLE ROCK —
People in Arkansas who were affected by the weather from May 24th to May 27th are getting a lot of help from the Disaster Relief Fund.
Keith Jones, the spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), says that so far, more than $2 million has been given to people who have been hurt by the weather.
“Okay, this has been called a disaster.” So, it’s clear that this is from the Disaster Relief Fund right now to help one person. Jones said, “We have more than 3,000 people who have signed up for help, and we’ve already set aside $2.2 million to help them. They will soon start getting disaster aid from FEMA.”
FEMA has also started a program called Rental Assistance to help people who have been affected by storms and have had to leave their houses.
Jones also talked about hotel costs, the availability of hotels, and price gouging.
There are a lot of reasons why room prices are going up, not just because of this disaster. A few weeks ago, the Walmart Association met here in Bentonville. There was also a baseball game. That means room prices change all the time. Because I’m in a hotel in Bentonville, I haven’t seen a big change in them. “But there are only so many hotel rooms, and we’re always working to make more available,” Jones said. “The state is working with the hotels to try to make more space available.”
Jones says that FEMA hasn’t been keeping an eye on price gouging, but he hasn’t seen any himself.
The Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville has set up an emergency recovery center for Arkansans who have been hurt.
Jones says that people who are currently in need of help can also go to the Boone County Government Building in Harrison, the Marion County Fairgrounds in Summit, or the Salesville City Hall in Baxter County.
Source: KATV
