Fayetteville, N.C. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened offices in Bertie and Cumberland counties on Thursday to connect storm victims with local, state and federal assistance. 

The Bertie County office is at the Colerain Community Building, 106 W. Academy St. in Colerain. 

The Cumberland office is at the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, 1225 Ramsey St.

The offices will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice, including Easter Sunday. 

An office will open in Johnston County at the First Baptist Church (Old Smithfield Herald Building), 125 S. Fourth St. in Smithfield, at 1 p.m. Friday. The center will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including Easter Sunday. 

Prior to going to any of the offices, applicants must register with FEMA eitherby phone (800-621-3362) or online at www.fema.gov.

More centers will open in other counties designated for assistance.

Homeowners can apply for up to $240,000 in low-interest federal loans to repair or replace their homes and belongings. Renters can apply for up to $40,000 in aid, and business owners can apply for up to $2 million to cover losses related to Saturday's severe storms.

Gov. Bev Perdue on Wednesday said the storms killed 24 and cost the state thousands of jobs and hundreds of homes. Damage estimates are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Residents of Bertie, Bladen, Cumberland, Craven, Currituck, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Onslow, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Wake and Wilson counties are eligible for the aid.

Local and state agencies, including the state Employment Security Commission and the Salvation Army, are working together at the Ramsey Street office to offer storm victims one place to get all the answers they need.