The Murray County Commissioners received updates on services available following the recent tornado during their regular weekly meeting on Monday.
Benjamin Abbott, with FEMA and Steve Palladino with Oklahoma Emergency Management, spoke to the board and other county officials about services available to the City of Sulphur, Murray County, and Sulphur residents and business owners following a declaration signed by President Biden last week.
Abbott told officials the City of Sulphur has qualified for not only public assistance but also individual assistance will be available for residents affected by the storm.
Abbott is encouraging all residents and victims of the tornado to apply for FEMAAssistance. He said in most cases after a resident applies for assistance, an inspector will be on sight within 24-48 hours and funds can be distributed with 24 hours after the inspection on qualified cases.
Public assistance pertains to damage and debris removal help for cities and counties for reimbursements to those entities for their services.
Abbott told officials a FEMA office will be opened on Wednesday at the Murray County Workforce Center, west of Sulphur, for one-on-one assistance. He also reported the Small Business Administration as well as other agencies will be in the office to offer aid to storm victims.
FEMA does not offer financial aid to businesses but affected businesses can reach out to the SBA for resources available to business owners.
In agenda action, the board approved a sponsorship of the Emergency Watershed Protection through NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service).
