Mississippians whose homes were damaged in the recent storms and flooding may encounter people attempting to cheat them by posing as inspectors, government officials, volunteers or contractors. These people may try to obtain personal information or collect payment for disaster assistance or repairs.

A disaster recovery center is open in Coahoma County to provide assistance to survivors of the flooding that began March 9, 2016. Plans are to also open centers in Bolivar and Washington counties later this week.

Nearly $3.3 million in state and federal disaster assistance has been disbursed to help those affected by the storms and flooding in Mississippi that began March 9, 2016. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been contacted by nearly 2,200 people for help or information regarding disaster assistance.

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today highlighted the difficulties that many communities in Mississippi face when attempting to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water mandates. Wicker’s comments were made during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to examine the importance of investing in water and wastewater infrastructure

Outreach teams from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are canvassing disaster-damaged neighborhoods around Mississippi

At the request of Governor Phil Bryant, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has amended a recent disaster declaration for severe storms and flooding that began March 9, 2016. Survivors in Clarke, Forrest, Greene, Jones, Marion, Panola, Perry, Quitman, Sunflower, Tunica and Wayne counties can now register with FEMA for disaster assistance through the Individual Assistance program.

A Washington County disaster recovery center is now open to provide assistance to survivors of the flooding that began March 9, 2016. Recovery centers are run jointly by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency; representatives of state and federal agencies are set up in the center to explain the various programs designed to help survivors recover

Housing inspectors contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are assisting eligible survivors of the recent flooding by visiting neighborhoods and checking for damage

Homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the recent severe storms and flooding in Mississippi that began March 9, 2016, are urged to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as they may be eligible for disaster assistance.

Kenneth Fairley, 62, of Hattiesburg, and Artie Fletcher, 55, of Picayune, have been charged in a federal indictment with a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jerome R. McDuffie, HUD Special Agent in Charge Nadine Gurley, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Donald Always and Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering

U.S. Congressmen Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) , Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia), and Brad Ashford (D-Nebraska) introduced The Small Public Housing Agency Opportunity Act of 2016 (H.R. 4816), bipartisan legislation addressing the administrative burdens facing small and rural housing authorities across the country.

Fifty owner-occupied homes for elderly and disabled residents in Canton, Mississippi, will be rehabilitated thanks in part to a $500,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from BankPlus and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The grant, issued in 2015, will fund Phase 3 of a four-year rehab project, spearheaded by Canton Housing Authority.

A $140,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from BankPlus and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is helping 20 low-income homeowners with critical home repairs through Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty (MadCAAP)

U.S. Senators Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today announced that the National Park Service will conduct a special resource study on the home of slain civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers to determine its potential for designation as a National Historic Landmark.

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., today announced that the National Park Service will conduct a special resource study on the home of slain civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers to determine its potential for designation as a National Historic Landmark