Matthew Survivors: 30 Days Left to Register for Federal Disaster Aid

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–Survivors rebuilding their lives from Hurricane Matthew have 30 days left

to register for federal disaster assistance. Individuals who have underinsured or uninsured damages or losses from Hurricane Matthew and who reside in one of the eligible counties still have until Friday,

Dec. 16, 2016, to apply for FEMA assistance. Designated counties include Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties.

Don’t wait to register. Applying for federal disaster assistance now may help if you still have unmet needs after receiving your insurance payment. While FEMA cannot duplicate assistance covered by insurance, you may still be eligible for assistance for losses not covered by insurance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid, are nontaxable and do not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362, which is Video Relay Service (VRS) accessible. Survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have difficulty speaking may call TTY 800-462-7585. Helpline hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).

The storm caused widespread damage in northeastern/central Florida along Florida’s eastern coastline, and the State of Florida, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continue to support individual and family recovery efforts.

As of close of business Nov. 14, 2016, about $68.8 million in federal assistance has been provided to homeowners, renters and business owners in designated areas for Hurricane Matthew, including:

• Nearly $30.8 million in flood insurance approved for policyholders under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
• More than $15.3 million approved to help individuals and families recover from the disaster, including nearly $13.3 million for housing assistance.

• More than 39,000 Floridians have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance.

• More than 4,100 Floridians have visited Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) to get one-on-one help from various state agencies, FEMA, SBA and certain nonprofit organizations.

Survivors should note that second to insurance, SBA low-interest disaster loans are the primary source of financial assistance to rebuild disaster-damaged private property for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private nonprofit organizations. Make sure to complete and return the SBA loan application if you receive one. There is no charge to apply for the loan and no obligation to accept it if approved. A completed SBA loan application is also an important step in order to qualify for other state and FEMA grants that cover personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, moving and storage expenses and other help.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for $40,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed personal property. If SBA does not offer a homeowner or renter a loan, they are referred to FEMA for possible additional grant consideration. Businesses and private nonprofit organizations can borrow up to $2 million for disaster-related losses.

For more information on Florida’s disaster recovery visit, https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4283, twitter.com/FEMA, facebook.com/FEMA, and fema.gov/blog, floridadisaster.org or #FLRecovers.

                                                                        ###

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.