By Albert Lea Tribune

With bitterly cold temperatures on the way, homeowners are urged to make sure their heating systems and water heaters are in good working condition, especially those that may have been damaged by September flooding, according to a press release.

If flood water got into heating systems, water heaters or other appliances, they need to be checked by experienced repair personnel to be sure they are working properly. Failure can occur weeks or even months after the event.

FEMA grants may be available to help repair damaged furnaces and water heaters and replace those destroyed by flood waters.  Minnesota residents in Blue Earth, Freeborn, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties need to register by Jan. 30 to be eligible.

If you have already repaired or replaced an appliance, it’s not too late to see if FEMA can reimburse you for this type of expense. It is important to register with FEMA to find out if your repairs are eligible.

Homeowners who receive a FEMA grant for repairs and who later discover their furnace needs replacing must use the FEMA appeal process for additional grant funds. The homeowner has 60 days to appeal and must submit an estimate for replacement of the furnace on contractor company letterhead.

Disaster survivors may register online at disasterassistance.gov, by using the FEMA app or by calling 800-621-3362 (FEMA).

Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362.

People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.