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Recovery Includes a Plan for Long-Term Housing

BATON ROUGE, La — For Louisiana flood survivors, recovery may include short-term FEMA assistance. Keep in mind that FEMA’s housing assistance comes with periodic checks on the need for continued help—and housing plans. Recovery is about planning.

Applicants may qualify for continued assistance if they demonstrate their need and develop a longer-term or permanent housing plan or demonstrate progress in one. A contractor’s estimate on repairs or a report on repairs can point to progress. Applicants need to keep rental receipts, canceled checks or money orders showing proper use of previous rental assistance. Recovery progress can be marked by accepting the first offer of adequate, alternate housing when it becomes available.

FEMA housing occupants with no housing plans will be given information and tools to help them find available housing. The FEMA helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY, at 800-462-7585 can assist with a list of rental properties. For a rental-unit database, check https://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm. Survivors should keep in contact with their insurance companies, their case managers if assigned, and with FEMA; each may open a door to another recovery opportunity.

FEMA aims to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars by requiring applicants to demonstrate they have a continuing need for temporary assistance. Applications for continued assistance will be mailed to homeowners. Renters can call the FEMA helpline and ask for an application. Renters need to contact their previous landlords to find out if they will be permitted to move back into their former units.

Recovery for many Louisiana flood survivors began with finding a place to stay, a temporary refuge. With others it began with removing debris, mucking out a home or re-opening a business. Each recovery story has a beginning, a middle and an outcome defined by a more stable situation. FEMA’s assistance will not make Louisiana flood survivors whole again, but can help in making the first few important steps to recovery.

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Recovery Includes a Plan for Long-Term Housing

FEMA Speaks Your Language

BATON ROUGE, La. – If you or someone you know wants to apply for federal disaster assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency probably can provide a translator or interpreter who speaks your language.

When you call the FEMA helpline, 800-621-3362, you will be asked in English to press “1” for English, or in Spanish, to press “2” for Spanish. If you do not press “1” or “2”, and do not hang up, an English-speaking registration assistant will answer and a language translator will be brought on line to assist the caller in registering for FEMA assistance. FEMA is able to provide translators for most languages.

To register, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA helpline. Help is available in most languages and phone lines are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. An American Sign Language interpreter can be made available at the Disaster Recovery Center when you visit.

Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids. Each disaster recovery center provides communication accessibility tools for people with communication disabilities.

For information call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov/disaster/4277.

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FEMA Speaks Your Language

Understanding the FEMA Eligibility Letter

RIDGELAND, Miss. – All applicants receive letters from FEMA explaining the status of their applications and whether or not they are eligible for assistance from FEMA. Some may receive text messages about their application.

Take the time to read the document thoroughly. Sometimes people do not immediately qualify for financial help and the reason may be fixed simply. The following are some common reasons for not qualifying:

The applicant did not sign the required documents;
Proof of ownership or occupancy was not supplied;
No proof the damaged property was the primary residence at the time of the disaster.
Someone else in the household may have applied and received assistance.
No paperwork showing the damaged property was the primary residence at the time of the disaster.

If questions arise, call the FEMA helpline (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362. (TTY users should call 800-462-7585.) The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. You also can take the letter to a visit a disaster recovery center and talk with staff individually. To locate the nearest center, visit FEMA.gov/DRC or call the FEMA helpline.

FEMA can never duplicate insurance benefits or other government sources, but if insurance is not enough to cover all the eligible damage, FEMA’s initial determination of ineligibility may change.

Every applicant has the right to file an appeal. The original letter provides an explanation of what steps need to be taken to appeal FEMA’s decision. Bring the letter to a disaster recovery center for help with the appeals process or call the FEMA helpline. Appeals must be filed in writing within 60 days of the date of the determination letter. The letter must explain why the initial decision was wrong and provide any new or additional information.

Appeals can be mailed to:

FEMA – Individuals & Households Program

National Processing Service Center

P.O. Box 10055

Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055

For more information on Mississippi’s disaster recover, visit FEMA.gov/Disaster/4268 and MSEMA.org.

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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.

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 are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money to help business of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters rebuild and recover after a disaster. SBA low interest disaster loans repair and replace property losses not fully compensated by insurance and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

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Understanding the FEMA Eligibility Letter

FEMA registration deadline Monday, November 24

Warren, Mich. – Disaster survivors in Southeast Michigan have until Monday Nov. 24, to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return their disaster loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Survivors who have delayed registration for any reason should apply for potential assistance that could include:

Housing Assistance offers temporary rental assistance and home repair grants to eligible survivors. FEMA’s ultimate goal is to ensure survivors’ dwellings are safe, sanitary and functional.

Other Needs Assistance is available for disaster related costs associated with personal property, transportation, moving and storage, or other necessary expenses.

Survivors who register and receive an SBA low-interest disaster loan application should return the application. SBA applicants are not obligated to accept a loan; however, completing it may lead to additional FEMA assistance. Survivors are encouraged to consider all sources of aid.

It is not necessary to wait for an insurance claim determination to apply for FEMA assistance
or an SBA disaster loan, which may help if applicants later find they are underinsured.

Michigan residents who receive a letter from FEMA saying they do not qualify for disaster assistance have the right to appeal and can do so within 60 days from the date of the determination letter.

Applicants who received a denial letter can call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY users call 800-462-7585.

Individuals can register for help online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet
at m.fema.gov. They may also call the FEMA helpline 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or (TTY) users call 800-462-7585. The helpline is available 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, seven days
a week.

To apply for a low-interest SBA disaster loan, go to https://DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ELA.

For assistance, call the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955

(TTY 800-877-8339) or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.

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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.

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.

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FEMA registration deadline Monday, November 24

There Are Many Reasons for a Letter From FEMA

PEARL, Miss. – Everyone receives a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after applying for disaster assistance. It explains FEMA’s decision, what to do next if you disagree with FEMA’s decision, and how grant money should be spent if you receive it.

If you have questions about any letter from FEMA, you should call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY at 800-462-7585) or visit a disaster recovery center. You can use the same phone number to find the nearest center. You can also locate a center with your smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov or online at www.fema.gov/drclocator.

If your letter says you are ineligible, it will provide information on what steps are necessary if you disagree with FEMA’s decision. For help, you can call FEMA’s helpline or go to a center and speak with a recovery specialist.

FEMA looks at a number of things and information to determine if a survivor may be eligible to receive disaster assistance. You must be able to:

Verify identity. If you’ve lost your ID during the storm, visit a disaster recovery center. The staff there can make referrals regarding replacement documents.
Verify occupancy for primary residence. You need to provide proof of occupancy such as a utility bill, driver’s license, merchant’s statement, employer’s statement. You can bring the documents to a disaster recovery center, where recovery specialists will help you.

You may also receive a letter from FEMA about your eligibility if you missed an appointment with an inspector.

That’s why it is so important to give good contact information – such as a cellphone or work number – and stay in touch with FEMA.

If you receive a disaster loan application from the SBA, you must complete and return it to SBA in order to be referred to other FEMA programs. You are not required to accept the loan. But returning the SBA application is part of the assistance process.

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There Are Many Reasons for a Letter From FEMA