North Carolina homeowners and renters who sustained property damage or loss caused by Hurricane Florence will now have an extra 30 days, or until Dec. 13, to register for Individual Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). The extension comes after the state requested additional time.

“I appreciate the extension of this important deadline so that more North Carolinians can have time to sign up and register for FEMA assistance,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “I encourage anyone who sustained damage to register with FEMA.”

The Individual Assistance program provides assistance to homeowners and renters with temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacement, and serious disaster-related needs.

Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state programs. Grants do not have to be repaid to the federal government.

Here’s how North Carolinians can register for help from FEMA:

• Visit DisasterAssistance.gov or Disaster Assistance.gov/es for Spanish.

• Call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY) anytime from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

• Visit a disaster recovery center. To find center locations and current hours, download the FEMA mobile app English and Spanish, the ReadyNC app, or visit FEMA.gov/DRC. Center hours and operations are adjusted based on visitor demand.

• In-person American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are available by calling or texting 202-655-8824. Go online to watch a video on how to request an American Sign Language interpreter.