Warren County residents affected by the 2019 Mississippi River flood can begin applying for individual disaster assistance.

Saturday, President Trump declared Warren and seven other Mississippi counties affected by storms, flooding and tornadoes disaster areas, clearing the way for property owners to apply for federal aid.

“Individual assistance is designed to help homeowners whose primary residence was damaged recover from the storm or flood,” Warren County Emergency Director John Elfer said.

He said people can register online, by telephone or at the Vicksburg Mall, beginning Friday at 9 a.m. The disaster assistance site will be in the former Tanner Jewelers store in the mall near the main entrance.

He said officials with the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will be at the site.

People wanting to register for assistance online can go to disasterassistance.gov, or can call at 800-462-7585.

“They will have to apply for a SBA (Small Business Administration) loan, whether they want the money or not,” Elfer said, adding FEMA representatives will explain the process.

The SBA will have a Business Recovery Center at the mall from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, where agency representatives can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and assist businesses in completing the SBA application.

Sections of Vicksburg and Warren County were damaged by three tornadoes that hit the area in April causing widespread damage, and by flooding by the Mississippi River and in the Yazoo Backwater Area, which inundated the South Delta area and northern Warren County, including the Eagle Lake area, which remained flooded for about six months.