The Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, has opened an office in Nikiski to handle claims stemming from the 7.0 Cook Inlet earthquake on Nov. 30, 2018.

In an announcement this week, FEMA says residents have until April 1 to apply for the Federal Individual Assistance Program.

The major disaster declaration issued on Jan. 31, 2019 for the state of Alaska made federal funding available to eligible affected individuals in the Municipality of Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Assistance under the federal Individual Assistance Program can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and other programs to help people recover from the disaster.

The application for federal assistance is separate from the state’s program. Individuals with disaster caused damages will need to complete a new application for federal assistance, even if they already applied for aid from the state or other agencies. While the programs are similar, some criteria and types of assistance are different, which necessitates a separate application.

The FEMA temporary office is open in the North Peninsula Recreation Center (55497 Poolside Avenue) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, ending March 2, 2019.