WINDSOR, Conn. –One of the most important signs of progress is the arrival of an official damage inspector from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at a damaged property.

The arrival of an inspector from FEMA means the damage to a home will be identified and recorded.   Identifying damage is an important step in determining both the amount and the types of assistance FEMA may provide.

If you live in one of the counties designated for disaster assistance and have registered with FEMA, you may be eligible for grants to help pay for rental housing, essential home repairs and other disaster-related expenses.

All residents of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties, and the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan Tribal Nations located within New London County may be eligible for federal disaster assistance from the FEMA Individual Assistance grant program.

The gateway to all this aid is registration for assistance with FEMA.

People with storm losses should register with FEMA online at our accessible website: www.DisasterAssistance.gov, with a smartphone or device at m.fema.gov.   Applicants can also register by phone by calling FEMA at: 800-621-3362.  If you use TTY, call 800-462-7585.  Multilingual operators are available.

Following your registration for assistance, should you qualify for an inspection; a FEMA inspector will call to set up a time to see your property.   It is important to meet the inspector to avoid delays in the inspection process.

If you can’t be present for the scheduled appointment, you can appoint someone 18 or older who lived in the house prior to the disaster to stand in for you during the inspection.

When the inspector arrives, be prepared to provide written proof of home ownership, such as a tax receipt, mortgage payment book or home insurance policy showing the property’s address.  If proof of ownership is not available, the inspector will complete the inspection, but proof of ownership must be provided to FEMA.   If the inspector is to document damage for a renter, proof of residence, such as a copy of the lease or a utility bill, is required.

The U.S. Small Business Administration and private insurance companies may also have inspectors working in your area, but the FEMA inspector will wear an official FEMA badge and will have the registration number your case was assigned when you registered for assistance.   FEMA does not charge a fee for an inspection.

Disability Awareness: The recommended font type is sans serif 12 point for regular print and sans serif 18 point when specifically printed for people with vision impairments.

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.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private nonprofit organizations 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.

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.