Release Date: December 30, 2005/Release Number: 1604-199 JACKSON, Miss -- Federal and state officials are urging Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims in Mississippi to take advantage of the 60 additional days they have been given to register for federal and state financial assistance to help them recover from uninsured or under-insured losses stemming from the disaster.

The extension to March 11 was granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"We are renewing our efforts to identify and reach people who may not have registered for various reasons and need more time to apply," said Nick Russo, FEMA's federal coordinating officer in Mississippi.

To date, FEMA has received more than 512,000 applications in Mississippi and another two million applications from Alabama, Louisiana and Texas victims from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.