FEMA Rental Assistance May Be an Option for Texas Survivors

AUSTIN, Texas – Homeowners and renters in four Texas counties affected by the storms and flooding April 17-24 may be eligible to receive rental assistance from FEMA. The funds are meant to help pay for a clean and safe place for them to stay while making repairs or rebuilding their storm-damaged home.

  • First, file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company. Talk to your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance agent about additional living expenses (ALE) coverage as part of your policy that may assist in relocating to a temporary residence.
  • Register for FEMA assistance. If you are insured, you will need to submit your settlement documents for review before FEMA can determine your eligibility status. If your policy does not include ALE, or you exhaust this coverage and your home remains uninhabitable, you may be eligible for rental assistance from FEMA.
  • An inspector may arrange a visit to your damaged home or apartment to determine disaster losses. If the inspector determines your home is uninhabitable, you may be offered an option of initial rental assistance to help you find another home to live in while you repair or rebuild.
  • Find available rental property. The FEMA Housing Portal provides resources for individuals and families who are displaced by a disaster. The portal consolidates resources of available rental property throughout the United States. Rental resources are identified and provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Veterans Administration, private organizations and individuals.

Survivors in Fayette, Grimes, Harris and Parker counties can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362, TTY 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Landlords with available rental properties can send an email to FEMA-Housing@fema.dhs.gov. The email should include your contact name, the state that the property is located in, and your phone number.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster webpage at fema.gov/disaster/4269 , Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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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. 

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FEMA Rental Assistance May Be an Option for Texas Survivors

Texans Who Filed Insurance Claims for May-June Storm Damage Should Register With FEMA

AUSTIN, Texas – If you are among the thousands of Texans who filed insurance claims for damage related to the May 4 to June 22 storms, you may be eligible for additional state-federal assistance. The key is to register with FEMA before the Aug. 27 deadline. Filing a claim under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program is different than registering for a FEMA disaster assistance grant.

FEMA may be able to help you with uninsured or underinsured losses or if your insurance settlement is delayed. Be sure to document your situation and gather insurance company documents that can be included when you talk with FEMA after registering.

Have you received the maximum settlement from your insurance and still have unmet disaster-related needs?  You may be eligible for a grant.

For example, if you have exhausted the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses (ALE for loss of use) and still need help from FEMA with temporary housing, you should document your need and assemble paperwork that shows use of ALE from insurance.

While FEMA cannot duplicate benefits covered by your insurance or other sources, you may also be eligible for emergency home repairs, disaster-related medical, dental and funeral costs and other disaster-related expenses.

Has a decision on your insurance settlement been delayed longer than 30 days from the time you filed your claim? Be sure to let FEMA know and have ready any documents from your insurance company to show that you filed a claim. If the claim was filed over the telephone, include the claim number, date applied, and an estimate of how long it will take for you to receive your settlement. Any help from FEMA would be considered an advance and would have to be repaid to FEMA when your insurance settlement is received.

You can apply for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 toll free from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) daily until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

Disaster assistance applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

Applying for an SBA low-interest disaster loan is part of federal disaster assistance. Many people who apply to FEMA are automatically referred for a low-interest disaster assistance loan. Survivors should complete SBA loan applications so they can be considered for all available disaster assistance.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4223, Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management website, www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

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All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).

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.

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

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Texans Who Filed Insurance Claims for May-June Storm Damage Should Register With FEMA

If Your Home is Uninhabitable, FEMA Rental Assistance May be an Option

Springfield, Ill. – While survivors of the Nov. 17 Illinois tornadoes are making repairs to or rebuilding their homes, assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be available to help pay for a warm, clean and safe place to stay during the cold winter months ahead.                                

  • First, file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company. Talk to your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance agent about additional living expenses (ALE) coverage as part of your policy to assist with relocating to a temporary residence.
  • Register for FEMA assistance. If you’re insured, you will need to submit your settlement documents for review before FEMA can determine your eligibility status. If your policy does not include ALE, or you exhaust this coverage and your home remains uninhabitable, you may be eligible for rental assistance from FEMA.
  • An inspector may arrange a visit to your damaged home or apartment to determine eligible losses. If the inspector determines your home is uninhabitable, you will be offered an option of initial rental assistance to help you relocate. Once exhausted, additional relocation assistance may be available on an as needed basis.
  • Find an available rental property in your area through online resources such as Nestrent.com or IlHousingSearch.org. Survivors can also call 800-621-FEMA (3362) for recommendations on available rental properties, or to ask questions about temporary rental assistance.

Survivors can register for federal disaster assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet by using the FEMA app or going to m.fema.gov. People may also call 800-621-FEMA or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362.

For the latest information on Illinois’ recovery from the Nov. 17 storms, visit FEMA.gov/Disaster/4157. Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, facebook.com/fema and youtube.com/fema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

SBA is the federal government’s primary source of funding for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).

Media Contact: Don Jacks, 304-542-6258

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If Your Home is Uninhabitable, FEMA Rental Assistance May be an Option

Register With FEMA While Waiting for an Insurance Settlement

NEW YORK – Disaster assistance may cover damages that insurance doesn’t. That is why individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy are urged by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to apply for assistance even if they have insurance.

Apply for FEMA assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by tablet or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Register by phone by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have a speech disability or hearing impairment and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.
 
Keep in mind that you need to file your insurance claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim may affect a policyholder’s eligibility for disaster assistance.

After filing a claim, if any of the following situations occur, FEMA may be able to provide some assistance:

Your insurance settlement is delayed.

  • “Delayed” means a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed longer than 30 days from the time you filed the claim.
  • If a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed, you will need to mail or fax a letter to FEMA explaining the circumstance. Mail or fax your letter to:
  • FEMA IHP
    National Processing Service Center
    PO Box 10055
    Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055

Fax: 1-800-827-8112

  • You should include documentation from the insurance company proving that you filed the claim.
  • If you filed your claim over the telephone, you should include the claim number, date when you applied, and the estimated time of how long it will take to receive your settlement.
  • If you receive FEMA assistance and you later find that your insurance will cover what your FEMA assistance was for, then you must return that money to FEMA because it is considered a duplicate benefit.

You have exhausted the Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provided by your insurance company.

  • If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses and still need help with your disaster-related temporary housing need, mail or fax a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating why you continue to have a temporary housing need.
  • You will also need to provide documentation to prove use of ALE from insurance, and a permanent housing plan.

You have up to 12 months from the date of registration with FEMA to submit insurance information for review.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4085, http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog

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Register With FEMA While Waiting for an Insurance Settlement