Has a FEMA Housing Inspector Assessed Damage to Your Dwelling?

AURORA, Ill. – A FEMA-contracted housing inspector must visit your damaged dwelling before a determination can be made that you are eligible for an Individual Assistance grant to help repair damage caused by the storms of April 16 to May 5.

The first step is to register with FEMA, which must be done before the July 9 deadline. Within a few days after registration, the applicant will receive a call from an inspector assigned to check the damage. The inspector will make an appointment to visit the dwelling.

FEMA does its own inspections. It does not receive information from flood insurance adjustors, SBA, or other sources.

It you do not receive a call from a FEMA inspector within two weeks after registration, you should call the FEMA helpline to verify your registration, 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362.

Making a flood insurance claim does not register you with FEMA. If you do not register with FEMA within the 60-day registration period ending July 9, you will not be eligible for FEMA assistance later if your flood insurance does not fully cover your loss. However, if you are registered, you have up to a year to request FEMA assistance if insurance coverage falls short.

FEMA registration is available online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, in addition to the telephone numbers listed above.

Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

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, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.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.