Rural News
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
South and Midwest December 2021 Tornadoes
On Friday night, December 10th, 2021, tornadoes up to 80 mph swept across six states in the Midwest and South, leaving more than 70 dead. Several states are experiencing power outages. President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky, which was hit by four tornadoes, one of which stayed on the ground for more than 200 miles. Michael Dossett, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, said the agency is already working to start cleaning up the debris and rebuild. For more information about preparing for and recovering from natural disasters, visit Rural Resilience.
Resources
Apply for FEMA Assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. FEMA Disaster Assistance Helpline answers questions about the help offered by FEMA, how to apply for assistance, or the information in your account.
Toll-free helpline: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
For hearing impaired callers only:
1-800-462-7585 (TTY)
1-800-621-3362 (Video Relay Service)
Operators are multilingual and calls are answered seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET
American Red Cross Disaster Service: For referrals and updates on Red Cross shelter services in your area, locate a local Red Cross office through: https://www.redcross.org/find-help or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)
The Red Cross helps disaster victims by providing safe shelter, hot meals, essential relief supplies, emotional support and health services like first aid. Trained Red Cross workers often meet one-on-one with families to develop individual plans and identify available resources to help aid recovery.
STATE HOUSING AGENCIES
Arkansas
Arkansas Development Finance Authority
P.O. Box 8023
Little Rock, AR 72203-8023
Phone: (501) 682-5900
Fax: (501) 682-5939
Illinois
Illinois Housing Development Authority
111 E Wacker Drive, Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 836-5200
Fax: (312) 832-2170
Kentucky
Kentucky Housing Corporation
1231 Louisville Road
Frankfort, KY 40601-6156
Phone: (502) 564-7630
Fax: (502) 564-7322
Mississippi
Mississippi Home Corporation
735 Riverside Drive
Jackson, MS 39202-1166
Phone: (601) 718-4642
Fax: (601) 718-4643
Missouri
Missouri Housing Development Commission
920 Main Street, Suite 1400
Kansas City, MO 64105-2017
Phone: (816) 759-6600
Fax: (816) 301-7000
Tennessee
Tennessee Housing Development Agency
502 Deaderick Street, Third Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 815-2200
Fax: (615) 564-2700
HUD STATE FIELD OFFICES
Arkansas
Little Rock Field Office
425 West Capitol Avenue
Suite 1000
Little Rock, AR 72201-3488
(501) 918-5700
Director: Wanda C. Merritt
Illinois
Chicago Regional Office
Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
(312) 353-6236
Kentucky
Louisville Field Office
Gene Snyder Courthouse
601 West Broadway
Room 110
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 582-5251
Director: Ahsaki Thurman
Mississippi
Dr. A. H. McCoy Federal Building
100 West Capitol Street
Room 910
Jackson, MS 39269-1096
(601) 965-4757
Director: Jerrie G. Magruder
Missouri
St. Louis Field Office
1222 Spruce Street
Suite 3.203
St. Louis, MO 63103-2836
(314) 418-5400
Director: James Heard
Tennessee
200 Jefferson Suite 300
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 544-3367
Director: Sernorma Mitchell
USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT STATE OFFICES
Arkansas
Karen Petrus, Acting State Director
Federal Building
700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 3416
Little Rock, AR 72201-3225
Voice: (501) 301-3216
Illinois
Molly K. Hammond, Acting State Director
2118 West Park Court, Suite A
Champaign, IL 61821
(217) 403-6200
Kentucky
Louisville Field Office
Gene Snyder Courthouse
601 West Broadway
Room 110
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 582-5251
Mississippi
Douglas Simons, Acting State Director
Federal Building, Suite 831
100 West Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39269
(601) 965-4316
Missouri
D Clark Thomas, Acting State Director
601 Business Loop 70 West
Parkade Center, Suite 235
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 876-0976
Tennessee
Dan Beasley, Acting State Director
441 Donelson Pike, Suite 310
Nashville, TN 37214
(615) 783-1300
STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES
Arkansas
Building 9501
Camp Joseph T. Robinson
North Little Rock, AR 72199
(501) 683-6700
Illinois
2200 South Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, Illinois 62703
IEMA Main Office (217) 782-2700
24-hour Response (217) 782-7860
TTY 888-614-2381
Mississippi
P.O. Box 5644
Pearl, Mississippi
(601) 933-MEMA
24 hour emergency line: 1-800-222-MEMA(6362)
Missouri
St. Charles Co.
Capt. Chris Hunt
1400 T.R. Hughes Blvd., Suite 230
O’Fallon, MO 63366
(636) 949-3023
Pemiscot Co.
Jess Cagle
PO Box 1031
Caruthersville, MO 63830
(573) 333-4101
Tennessee
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
Patrick C. Sheehan, Director
3041 Sidco Dr.
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 741-0001
Housing Assistance Council