You Can Help to Move Your FEMA Assistance Request Forward

BATON ROUGE, La. — You can make a big difference in getting fast action on your FEMA application by providing all the information needed and then staying in touch. The state and FEMA rely on that information to process each claim.

When you register with FEMA, the facts you provide are used to determine what types of assistance you may be eligible to receive. When all the information is complete, FEMA is able to make a decision regarding your disaster aid.

There are a number of reasons flood survivors receive ineligibility letters and yet may qualify for assistance. For example, you may still need to:

  • Return insurance information
    • If you have flood insurance, contact your insurance company and ask for a settlement letter detailing exactly what is covered under your claim.
    • Hand in the letter at a disaster recovery center or mail insurance settlement information to FEMA – Individuals & Households Program
      • National Processing Service Center,
        P.O. Box 10055
        Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055
    • FEMA cannot provide money to individuals or households for losses already covered by insurance.
  • Provide information to prove occupancy or ownership of the damaged property
    • Utility bills, tax receipts, rental receipts are all proof you lived at the address.
  • Fill out all necessary paperwork and update your contact information
    • Answer all questions on the form.
    • Let FEMA know each time you move or change a phone number:
      • By going online to DisasterAssistance.gov;
      • By calling 800-621-3362 from  6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily;
      • Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362;
      • By talking face-to-face with a specialist at a disaster recovery center. Find the closest one at fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362; or
      • By downloading the FEMA mobile app.
  • Complete and return the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan application.
    • Be sure to return the completed SBA loan application even if you choose to decline the loan.
    • Filling out the loan application is a necessary step so you can be considered for additional forms of disaster assistance.

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You Can Help to Move Your FEMA Assistance Request Forward

Make Smart Decisions with Louisiana Flood Recovery Funds

Baton Rouge, La. – With more than $4.3 million in Individual Assistance already in the hands of Louisiana flood survivors, state and federal officials have some advice: Resist the urge to splurge.

State and federal disaster assistance is meant to help people pay for necessities and start to get back on their feet.

Disaster assistance may include grants and loans to help pay for emergency repairs to damaged homes, temporary housing, or other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources.

A letter explaining a payment’s purpose will arrive within a day or two of the check or direct deposit payment. If survivors use payments on anything other than their intended purpose, they may have to repay those funds – and might not be able to receive future disaster assistance.

Survivors who have not yet registered may do so online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. They may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585.  Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages and phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

The state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provide assistance to eligible survivors primarily as Housing Assistance and/or Other Needs Assistance. Federal assistance also is available in the form of low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters to recover.

FEMA Housing Assistance grants may be used for:

  • Temporary rental assistance

  • Essential repairs necessary to return a damaged home to a safe and functional condition

  • Replacing a home that has been completely destroyed

Other Needs Assistance grants may be used to cover disaster-related expenses, such as:

  • Medical, dental, funeral and burial costs

  • Replacement of disaster-damaged personal property, specialized tools for employment household items and appliances

  • Vehicle repair or other serious needs

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Make Smart Decisions with Louisiana Flood Recovery Funds

Get Ready Now for Potential Severe Weather & Wildfires

DENTON, Texas – People living in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas are urged to get ready now for potential severe weather that could strike over the next few days in the form of possible severe thunderstorms, hail, strong winds, flash flooding, tornadoes and wildfires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region 6 office continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to support state and local partners as needed and requested in any affected areas.

“We encourage people to keep listening to their local and state officials for updated instructions and information. The safety of people is the first priority,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “We encourage people to have an individual or family emergency plan in place, practice that plan and put together an emergency kit.”

If you have severe weather in your area, you will likely want to become familiar with the terms used to identify a severe weather hazard including:

  • Watch: Meteorologists are monitoring an area or region for the formation of a specific type of threat (e.g. flooding, severe thunderstorms, or tornadoes); and
  • Warning: Specific life and property threatening conditions are occurring and imminent. Take appropriate safety precautions.

More tools and resources are available online to help you prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of disaster. Visit www.Ready.gov or the Spanish language site www.Listo.gov.

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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. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.
 

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Get Ready Now for Potential Severe Weather & Wildfires

FEMA Region 6 Urges People to Get Ready Now for Potential Severe Winter Weather

DENTON, Texas – People living in parts of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma are urged to get ready now for potential severe winter weather over the next few days in the form of freezing rain and possible ice accumulation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region 6 office continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to support state and local partners as needed and requested in the affected areas.

“We encourage people to keep listening to their local and state officials for updated instructions and information. The safety of people is the first priority,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “We also encourage people to have an individual or family emergency plan in place, practice that plan and put together a winter weather emergency kit.”

In addition to items normally found in an emergency preparedness kit, the winter weather kit should include:

• Rock salt or other more environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways;
• Sand to improve traction;
• Sufficient heating fuel in case you lose power in your home; and
• Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm.

You will also want to minimize travel; keep a disaster supply kit in your vehicle; and bring pets inside.
More tools and resources are available online to help you prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of disaster. Visit www.Ready.gov or the Spanish language site www.Listo.gov.

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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. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Region 6 Urges People to Get Ready Now for Potential Severe Winter Weather

Improve Protection Of Home Or Business With SBA Loan

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jerseyans may use low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration to better protect their home or business structures from future disasters.

Home and business owners can choose to borrow up to an additional 20 percent of the approved loan amount for mitigation improvements including building elevation, retaining walls, seawalls, sump pumps and relocating utilities.

Survivors can indicate on their SBA loan applications that they want to apply for additional mitigation funds and specify how they would protect their home or business.

Homeowners can receive loans up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged property while businesses can receive loans up to $2 million.

SBA disaster loans for building code requirements can increase the total of the loan up to 100 percent.

The deadline to apply for a low-interest SBA disaster loan is Jan. 30.

SBA is the primary source of federal funds for long-term rebuilding. In most cases, Federal Emergency Management Agency funds will not cover all of the repair needs of homeowners. Money for a temporary rental home is the form of help FEMA largely provides so obtaining a low-interest SBA disaster loan is a survivor’s best option for repairing their home, replacing property and mitigating their home.

For additional information on SBA low-interest disaster loans, contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visiting sba.gov. SBA customer service representatives are available at all disaster recovery centers throughout the state. Centers can be found online at fema.gov/DRC.

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 www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

SBA’s Disaster Assistance Program provides long term, low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes. For more information, visit www.sba.gov. All SBA’s program and services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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Improve Protection Of Home Or Business With SBA Loan

Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Disaster Aid Questions

NEW YORK – As the Jan. 28, 2012 deadline to register for FEMA assistance approaches in New York, recovery officials want to make sure survivors have all the information they need about disaster aid.

New York’s Federal Coordinating Officer for Hurricane Sandy, Michael Byrne, hosted the first of a series of ‘live’ chats on Twitter this week to address questions and concerns about disaster assistance, tweeting about FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Program, Disaster Unemployment Assistance and housing repair grants in the one-hour session. He will be doing additional chat sessions in the coming weeks. Keep following  @FEMASandy for the latest information on the next chat.

Following are some of the most commonly asked disaster aid questions, (in more than 140 characters). For additional Q&As, go to www.fema.gov/SandyNY.

INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE

I submitted my papers for disaster assistance but have not heard anything, how long does it take to hear back?

If you submitted an application for assistance due to damage to your home, a FEMA-contracted inspector should contact you to schedule an appointment within 10 days of registering. If you are seeking other forms of assistance, and you have completed and mailed in your SBA disaster loan application, you should receive an eligibility letter within 10 days of returning your paperwork. If 10 days have passed and you haven’t heard from us, call the FEMA toll-free Helpline 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585.)

If you were asked to provide additional documentation and did so and have not heard back, call the helpline as well.

How can I extend my FEMA rental assistance?

To receive additional temporary rental assistance, you must complete the Continuing Need form with all the applicable information and mail it back to us at the address printed on the form. If you don’t have the form, contact FEMA’s toll-free Helpline.

Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Disaster Aid Questions – Page 2

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM

What should I do if I’m still waiting on my flood insurance settlement?

Contact your claims adjuster or carrier to see if you may be eligible for an expedited flood insurance payment to cover repairs of your home’s mechanicals damaged in the disaster. You

can call the NFIP Help Center 800-427-4661 to address questions about your flood insurance claim or payment.

Why am I required to build above the minimum elevation requirement?

Each community develops their own local building requirements. You should contact your community’s floodplain manager to discuss elevation requirements for your property. Elevation requirements are meant to protect your home from future flood damages. In general, if your home is located in a high-risk area, the higher you build above the base flood elevation, the lower your premium and potential for flood damage.

To find out how you need to build contact your community’s floodplain manager who can help you walk through the elevation requirements for your property.  His/her contact information is usually available on your city government web site.

MITIGATION: REBUILDING BETTER AND STRONGER

Is there money available to elevate/mitigate my home?

There may be assistance available to help you mitigate your home.

  • If you applied for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan and it was approved, you may be eligible for additional funds to cover the cost of improvements – such as elevating your home – to protect your property against future damage. Contact SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339) or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information.
  • If you already had a flood insurance policy before the storm, and your home was substantially damaged, you may be eligible to receive up to $30,000 in increased cost of compliance coverage to elevate your home after you file your claim. Talk to your insurance agent to determine if you’re eligible.
  • FEMA provides hazard mitigation grants to states for activities such as structure elevation, property acquisition, and flood proofing. The state determines which activities will be funded with hazard mitigation grants. To learn more about these grants, visit www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance or contact your local floodplain manager for more details.

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

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Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Disaster Aid Questions

Survivors with Ongoing Housing Needs Should Stay in Touch with FEMA

New York – The Federal Emergency Management Agency understands that some Hurricane Sandy survivors may need additional temporary rental assistance to help them achieve their permanent housing goals.

All applicants who received temporary rental assistance from FEMA were mailed a “Declaration for Continuing Need for Rental Assistance” letter.

This form is mailed 15 days after applicants receive their initial rental assistance grant and explains how to request additional temporary rental assistance from FEMA.

To receive additional temporary rental assistance as quickly as possible, applicants must:

  • Complete the form with all the applicable information and mail it back to FEMA at the address printed on the form.
  • Applicants will need to provide information of both pre-disaster and current expenses that are applicable to their households such as pay-stubs to verify income.
  • They also must provide a copy of their lease and the name and phone number of their landlord.  
  • Applicants who don’t have the form should contact FEMA’s toll-free Help Line

800-621-FEMA (3362).

FEMA expects all families who receive temporary rental assistance to return to their damaged home when it is repaired or to locate and occupy affordable housing without FEMA rental assistance at their earliest opportunity. 

However, FEMA also recognizes this is a difficult time for Hurricane Sandy survivors and that some families need additional temporary assistance to assist them in their recovery. 

Survivors should not hesitate to contact the FEMA Help Line 800-621-FEMA (3362) with any questions or concerns regarding temporary rental assistance from FEMA.                                                                                                          

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

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Survivors with Ongoing Housing Needs Should Stay in Touch with FEMA

Survivors Must Contact FEMA to Keep Temporary Housing Assistance

New York – Hurricane Sandy survivors, who received temporary housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and continue to have a housing need, must fill out an important form for additional short-term rental assistance.

FEMA mails all applicants who receive rental assistance the “Declaration for Continuing Need for Rental Assistance” form. It reaffirms that applicants have an ongoing need for temporary housing while they search for a permanent place to live.

  • This form is mailed 15 days after applicants receive their initial rental assistance grant.
  • Applicants who need additional rental assistance must complete the form and mail it back to FEMA at the address printed on the form.
  • If you don’t have the form, contact FEMA’s toll-free helpline 800-621-FEMA (3362).

Returning to a permanent home is a significant milestone on the road to recovery. FEMA rental assistance may last for up to 18 months from the date of declaration. So it’s important for survivors to have a permanent housing plan.

Survivors with questions about temporary housing assistance should contact FEMA’s toll-free helpline 800-621-FEMA (3362). Applicants who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day seven days a week until further notice.

Individuals may register for help online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. 

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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Survivors Must Contact FEMA to Keep Temporary Housing Assistance

Tell Your Neighbor about Federal Disaster Assistance

Tell Your Neighbor about Federal Disaster Assistance 

Release Date: April 3, 2012
Release Number: 4058-019

» More Information on Indiana Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — If you suffered damage during severe storms Feb. 29-March 3, chances are your neighbor may have, too. Storm-impacted individuals should tell their neighbors about the opportunity to register for assistance with FEMA before the May 8 deadline and to return their SBA loan applications as soon as possible.

Tell your friends and neighbors about the opportunity to register with FEMA even though they have insurance. Insurance may not cover the entire cost of recovery, and a low-interest loan from the SBA may fill the gap to more fully recover from damage.

Tell others FEMA Housing Assistance in the form of grants may include rental assistance, home repairs and home replacements. Other Needs Assistance grants may be available to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs.

Tell your friends and neighbors SBA disaster loans help homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations fund repair or rebuilding and cover the cost of replacing lost or damaged personal property and business assets. These loans may cover insurance deductibles, code-required upgrades and other costs not covered by insurance or other sources.

Tell your friends and neighbors if they received an SBA disaster loan application they should return it as soon as possible. If they have questions, they can contact the SBA Customer Service Center. Call (800) 659-2955 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. To apply online, visit:  
disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. Applicants may also visit www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Emphasize to your friends and neighbors that completion of the SBA disaster loan application may open the door to FEMA grants and other forms of assistance available to eligible residents. FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for medical, dental and funeral expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA disaster loan applications must submit them to SBA to be eligible for assistance covering personal property, vehicle repair or replacement and moving and storage expenses. An insurance claim does not have to be settled to complete and submit an SBA loan application.

Register with FEMA

Be sure your friends and neighbors know how to apply for FEMA assistance. One easy way to apply is to call the telephone registration line, (800) 621-FEMA (3362). For speech-or hearing-impaired applicants, the TTY number is (800) 462-7585 and Video Relay Service may be accessed at (800) 621-3362. These lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. FEMA issues a nine-digit registration number to verify completion of each application.

Registration is also possible in the following ways:

May 8 is the last day to register for assistance.

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.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 03-Apr-2012 10:52:37

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Tell Your Neighbor about Federal Disaster Assistance

Community Relations Teams Canvassing Areas Hit By Tornadoes In Tennessee

Community Relations Teams Canvassing Areas Hit By Tornadoes In Tennessee 

Release Date: March 22, 2012
Release Number: 4060-003

» More Information on Tennessee Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding

ATLANTA, Ga. — Community relations specialists from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are currently working in ten Tennessee counties assisting survivors of the severe storms that occurred Feb. 29 – March 2.

The ten counties in middle and east Tennessee were recently designated for federal disaster assistance.

Teams are going door-to-door in the impacted communities to share and gather information and to identify possible unmet needs. Officials want individuals and small business owners to know about all available disaster assistance programs. 

Federal help in the form of grants and low-interest loans may be available to homeowners and renters affected by the storms. Grants for temporary housing, basic home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs are available. Homeowners, renters and businesses may also be eligible for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Community relations team members wear ID badges and either FEMA or Tennessee Disaster Response shirts. When community relations specialists meet a disaster survivor with unmet needs, they pass that information on to state, federal or voluntary agency staff best able to respond. They also meet with representatives of community-based agencies, community leaders and public officials to explain the disaster assistance process.

Survivors should register with FEMA by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), which is video relay service accessible. Applicants using TTY can call 800-462-7585. Help is available in most languages and lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.

Survivors can also register by computer online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. If using a smartphone or tablet, register at m.fema.gov.

Federal disaster assistance for individuals and families can include grants for rental assistance and home repairs, low-interest loans from the SBA to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help recover from the effects of the disaster.

For more information, visit www.TNEMA.org and www.FEMA.gov/assistance.

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.

Last Modified: Thursday, 22-Mar-2012 15:50:31

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Community Relations Teams Canvassing Areas Hit By Tornadoes In Tennessee