Tropical Storm Debby Survivors: Keep Your Receipts

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Debby survivors who received money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency must keep their receipts or bills for three years.

FEMA assistance must be used for eligible disaster expenses only, as identified in the approval letter from FEMA. You must save documentation that demonstrates how the funds were used in meeting your disaster-related needs. Examples include:

Receipts for items purchased for home repair

• Contractor invoices
• Proof of hotel room charges
• Rent payment receipts
• Receipts for moving and storage expenses
• Receipts for repairing or replacing personal property

More information on FEMA programs for individuals and households can be found in the “Help After a Disaster” guide. The guide was mailed to each applicant but also is available online at www.fema.gov/help-after-disaster.

For more information on Florida’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.floridadisaster.org/. On Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/FloridaSERT. To receive Twitter updates: twitter.com/FLSERT or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

###