Mississippi’s COVID numbers are going in opposite directions. The State Health Department on Wednesday said the number of new cases was the lowest this year—542. But there were 96 deaths, the most reported in a single day in three weeks. Three of the deaths were in Attala County, three more in Neshoba County and one in Leake County.
As Mississippi approaches 12,000 COVID deaths, FEMA has provided more than $31.6 million in funeral assistance to families impacted by the pandemic across the state. A total of 4,674 payments have been made to help with funeral expenses for people whose deaths on or after Jan. 20, 2020 were attributed to the virus. More than 7,000 Mississippians have applied for the assistance.
- To apply for assistance or ask questions about an existing application, individuals are encouraged to call 844-684-6333, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday – Friday, ET. Multilingual operators are available. Callers who use a relay service, such as a videophone, video relay services (VRS), captioned telephone, or other service should provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to them for that service.
- Applicants must provide FEMA with a signed funeral home contract, invoice, or similar legal documentation that shows the individual incurred COVID-19-related funeral expenses on or after Jan. 20, 2020.
- Though there is no deadline to apply for this assistance, in April, FEMA will begin placing applications that remain incomplete after at least 365 days in a suspended status. This change allows the agency to focus attention on individuals who intend to finalize their application and avoids repeated contact to anyone who may no longer wish to continue this process. They can reactivate their application, without appeal, by submitting the required documents.
