Jun. 24—Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are in Rogers County, and the agency will open a local relief center soon.

FEMA declared the May 25 tornado a disaster on June 14. This made individual assistance available to help tornado victims rebuild their homes; the deadline to apply is Aug. 13. To apply, visit disasterassistance.gov or call FEMA’s hotline at 800-621-3362.

Diana Dickinson, a spokesperson for Rogers County, said people who have reported damage need to apply for assistance separately. Damage reporting is through the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, while applying for assistance is through the federal government.

Dickinson said FEMA representatives are going door to door from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to notify people how to apply. She said representatives have mostly visited homes outside the Claremore city limits so far. If no one is home, she said the representatives are leaving flyers.

Residents of Rogers County who have been displaced from their homes can apply for aid in-person at a disaster relief center, Dickinson said. Oklahoma has three: one in Barnsdall, a second in Bartlesville and a third in Sulphur. To find which one is closest to a certain ZIP code, text “DRC #” to 43362, replacing “#” with the ZIP code.

FEMA will open a disaster relief center in Claremore, likely in the first week of July, Dickinson said. It will probably be across from the Rogers County Courthouse or east of town where the tornado hit hardest.

FEMA representatives will be at Eastern Hills Baptist Church, 16912 E. 480 Road, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. to distribute food to people impacted by the tornado.

Dickinson said some people who have applied for assistance have been put on hold. Many of these people are on hold because FEMA has to communicate with their insurance provider.

She said people whose applications were denied may appeal to FEMA up to three times. The deadline to appeal is June 14, 2026.

FEMA will also assist the city and county governments by reimbursing them for storm recovery costs. Dickinson said this includes extra hours employees worked in the aftermath of the storm, damaged goods and truck loads of green debris.

The Rogers County Commissioners approved an access agreement with the city Monday. It allows both the city and county to dispose of green waste at a county-owned site north of E. 410 Road.

Scotty Stokes, the director of Rogers County Emergency Management, said county and city crews have been tracking the thousands of truck loads they’ve hauled. FEMA reimburses based on the cubic yardage of green debris collected. Once FEMA has completed its inspections and the state Department of Environmental Quality issues a permit, crews can burn the debris.

Officials have asked residents to stack green debris in lengths of 10 feet or less by the roadside and away from gas and water meters. Crews will pick it up for free.