Atlanta—More than $3.98 million has already been approved and more than 1,760 residents in 23 south Georgia counties have registered for assistance for damages from the March 26 to April 13 severe storms and flooding.

Monday, June 22, 2009 is the deadline to register for federal assistance in Georgia.

Additional money may be approved, but only by following these important tips:

Register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance-there’s only one week left. June 22 is the final deadline.

If you received a loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), complete and return it, even if you don’t want a loan. SBA low-interest disaster loans are for homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes.

Individuals can apply for assistance, ask questions or check on the status of an application by dialing FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are available seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until further notice. Help in all languages is available.

People also can register online by visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the Helpline.

June 22 is also the deadline for applicants who received SBA low-interest loan applications to complete and return them. If the SBA application is not returned, the applicant may not receive other forms of federal assistance. Anyone with questions about SBA disaster loans can get help by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955.

The 23 counties whose residents are eligible to apply for disaster assistance are Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Camden, Coffee, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pierce, Tattnall, Tift, Ware, Wheeler, and Worth counties.