General Disaster Assistance:
- Disaster Self-Help Toolkit by Iowa Legal Aid. English version. Spanish version. The toolkit outlines tools and tactics to prepare yourself, your home, and your family for a disaster. Here is a survey on how helpful you find the tool-kit: survey.
- Evacuation Planning: https://www.ready.gov/evacuation
- Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center: https://www.ladrc.org/
- Heartland Disaster Help: https://heartlanddisasterhelp.org/
- Iowa State Disaster Recovery Resources: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/disasterrecovery/
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources disaster help: https://www.iowadnr.gov/about-dnr/social-media-press-room/disaster-assistance.
- Preparing for a disaster for people with disabilities and special needs information from the Red Cross.
FEMA Resources:
- General Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website: https://www.fema.gov/. You can find details of what FEMA can assist with, their processes for assistance, along with a link to a tracking system to find an update on the status of your application.
- FEMA information on applying for assistance after a disaster: https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual.
- FEMA flood insurance information: https://www.floodsmart.gov/types-flood-insurance. This site gives an overview of the different types of coverage and which one might be right for you. It also gives insight into the rates and coverage of each plan.
Evacuating Your Pets:
- PETS Act information: https://www.avma.org/pets-act-faq
- Preparing for Disaster with Pets: https://www.ready.gov/pets and https://www.aspca.org and https://www.humanesociety.org
Contractor Issues:
- Iowa Attorney General’s information on contractor scams: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/general-consumer-information/home-improvements–repairs/natural-disasters-cleanup-and-repairs. This article will give insight into common contractor scams during a disaster, tips on how to prevent these scams, and what to do if you feel you have been scammed. The link also provides contact information for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for assistance with these issues.
- Home repair fraud information: https://renknowvate.app/. This link has preventative tactics, the most likely demographics to be targeted, and contact information for the program
Shelter and Public Benefits After a Disaster:
- Disaster unemployment assistance: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/get-assistance/forms-of-assistance/4466. Disaster unemployment assistance provides temporary benefits to people who, as a result of a major disaster, lost or had their employment interrupted.
- Disaster emergency shelter finder: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html. The site outlines who can stay at a Red Cross Shelter, what you should bring if you are looking to stay at one, and next steps for when your stay is over. The site also has resources and contacts for other emergency help that is available.
Tax issues in a disaster:
- Preparing for a disaster: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/preparing-for-a-disaster-taxpayers-and-businesses
- General tax issues in a disaster: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations
- Tax issues for self-employed in a disaster: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/faqs-for-disaster-victims
- Reconstructing your records after are disaster: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/reconstructing-records-after-a-natural-disaster-or-casualty-loss