LEE COUNTY, Ky. — Thursday would have been the last chance for Kentuckians impacted by flooding this spring to apply for emergency assistance. However, just days before the deadline, FEMA pushed it back once again allowing Kentuckians more time to fill out an application.

Kentuckians in 31 counties who were impacted by severe storms earlier this year are eligible to apply under FEMA's Individual Assistance (IA) program until July 23. 

“We are grateful that FEMA granted this extension because it will allow more Kentuckians to receive much-needed assistance following historic flooding in the commonwealth,” said Beshear. “All eligible Kentuckians should take advantage of this service as soon as possible before the new July 23 deadline.”

In wake of this announcement, Spectrum News 1 caught up with Jon Allen, the emergency manager in Lee County. Back in March, most of Main Street in Beattyville was underwater. People were seen getting around by boat as water levels were close to overtopping cars at the time. 

Since then, the community has rallied together to help neighbors in need. Allen also said he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from volunteer groups across the region who stepped up to help Lee County. While it has been far from easy, Allen said things are starting to return to life as normal for much of the area.

“If you walk down our Main Street today, you wouldn’t really notice anything impacted by the flood unless you look really close," said Allen. "We still have some businesses that have not come back yet. We have some that moved out in the county, but all in all, we are recovering.”

In fact, recovery is going so well that Beattyville is hosting a Bourbon and Moonshine Festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Main Street. Allen said there have been smaller events there, but this marks the first large event since the storms.

While FEMA did extend the deadline to apply, Allen said most of the residents in Lee County who are eligible have already done so. At last check, Allen said around 100 Lee County residents and 50 business owners had applied for assistance, which is on par with the amount of known damage reported there.

Beshear's office said the extent of damage from these storms is widespread with roughly 1,200 damage reports across 31 counties, costing more than $72 million.

Residents can apply by visiting disasterassistance.gov, which the governor's office said is the "fastest and easiest way." Kentuckians can also call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585), where toll-free telephone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT seven days a week. Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, Innocaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service.

Homeowners and renters impacted by flooding in the following 31 counties are eligible to register: Anderson, Boyd, Breathitt, Clark, Clay, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greenup, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Warren and Woodford.

“Again, we appreciate FEMA’s final extension of the IA registration period for our recent flooding event and urge all of our impacted residents to take advantage of this closing opportunity for federal assistance,” said Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky Emergency Management.

To register, you should have the following information ready:

• Address of the damaged primary dwelling where the damage occurred;
• Current mailing address;
• Current telephone number;
• Social Security number;
• Your insurance information;
• Total household annual income;
• Routing and account numbers for checking or savings accounts so FEMA may directly transfer disaster assistance funds; and
• A general description of disaster damage and losses.

Assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover.