For those who may not have been able to make the FEMA request deadline there is good news. Butler County Emergency Planner Bob Luman announced Tuesday the deadline had been extended. The deadline will now be moved to Jan. 3. Luman said they came through with the good news on Monday.

&uot;Yesterday we got news that there was an extension on filing for the disaster assistance program,&uot; Luman said. &uot;That means people can still call the 800 number and try to get help.&uot;

Luman said once people call the number FEMA would determine what action to take.

&uot;If a Fema representative comes out and sees the house he can determine a dollar amount and he can turn in the request,&uot; Luman said. &uot;They have to come out and look at the property and evaluate the situation. If you don’t have insurance they can turn that report in.&uot;

Luman said FEMA could help with people who do have insurance and supplement what it may not cover.

&uot;If you have a claim that may not be covered by insurance they will evaluate the same way they would anyone,&uot; Luman said. &uot;Then he will say get the insurance company to say what they will do. At that point they will send someone else out to talk to you and judge it from there.&uot;

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency advised Alabama officials that it had granted the state’s request to extend the registration deadline. The new deadline for applying for assistance will be Monday Jan. 3.

Bruce Baughman, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and state coordinating officer for the disaster recovery effort said after looking over the situation there was no doubt more time was needed.

&uot;Prior to this request we had more than 136,00 applications,&uot; Baughman said. &uot;It was clear we needed to keep the registration period open if we were going to reach all the people who need help.&uot;

Michael Hall, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer, granted the extension request.

&uot;We hope this extra time will ensure everyone who resides or works in a disaster declared county will get the federal and state assistance they need to rebuild their lives,&uot; Hall said.

Individuals can begin the disaster application process by calling the toll free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 800-462-7585

(TTY) for the hearing or speech impared. Representatives at the toll free telephone numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT, seven days a week until further notice. If possible try calling in the evening around 6 p.m. or on the weekends when call volume often is lighter. One can also register online using FEMA’s newly implemented Internet registration at www.fema.gov.