NEW YORK — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set up a mobile center at First Baptist Church in East Elmhurst on Saturday, after it was requested to help local residents whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Ida apply for aid.

Several residents who attended the event said they have struggled to get assistance from the government and from their own insurance companies. Greg King, a homeowner in East Elmhurst, said his basement was flooded.

“It was three feet of water. So freezers. All of our materials that we had stored there because it was a family home. More than 50 years we’ve been living there," King said. "Everything sort of was floating.... I had it all in plastic containers, but the water just picked it up and had it floating."

King estimated his home suffered about $10,000 in damage. He has struggled to get assistance covering the expenses. At Saturday’s mobile center, resident could receive assistance applying for funds from FEMA.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was there with her staff members. Her office was there to help residents who were either denied or received too little in FEMA aid appeal with the agency.

“If the decision that you got from your insurance company doesn’t make you whole, a big thing that the FEMA program is supposed to do is help supplement on top of a decision that your insurance company may have fallen short," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Now if your FEMA decision has fallen short, contact my office, or contact your representative's office, and we can often help people appeal their FEMA decision, and we’ve actually successfully helped quite a few cases get reconsidered and increase the assistance amount."

FEMA aid could reimburse up to $34,000 per family, according to the representative.

The agency also extended the deadline to apply for assistance until Jan. 4, 2021. Residents can also go to FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers that are located at Queens College and the Coney Island Library for help applying for aid.