Forget About FEMA?

CHICAGO, IL – You’ve cleaned up and started making the necessary repairs from last month’s storms and flooding. Now the bills are coming due.

Your insurance may cover some of those costs, but if you haven’t registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you may be missing out on additional assistance you need to recover. Until you register for assistance, FEMA has no way of knowing who you are, where you are, or what you need.

Calling your insurance agent does not register you with FEMA.
Contacting county or municipal agencies does not register you with FEMA.
Receiving assistance from volunteer agencies does not register you with FEMA.

The only way to determine whether you’re eligible for federal disaster assistance is to register with FEMA by phone or online, or by visiting a Disaster Recovery Center. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are also registering applicants for assistance in neighborhoods throughout the declared disaster area.

Individuals can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 800-462-7585.

If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT seven days a week.

FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration representatives are available at all five state-federal Disaster Recovery Centers now open in Illinois. These centers are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Cook County

Forest View Fire Department

7010 46th Street

Forest View, IL

DuPage County

Lisle Police Department

5040 Lincoln Avenue

Lisle, IL

Grundy County

Morris Fire Department

2301 Ashton Road

Morris, IL

LaSalle County

Marseilles Fire Department

205 Lincoln Street

Marseilles, IL

Fulton County

Fulton County Health Department

700 East Oak Street

Canton, IL

Anyone from a declared county in Illinois can go to any of the above Disaster Recovery Centers. Come with questions – leave with answers.

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.

Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, facebook.com/fema, and youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.