A Guide to FEMA Assistance
FEMA can assist with temporary housing, repair or replacement costs, and other disaster needs through the Individuals and Households Program. FEMA also provides Serious Needs Assistance designed to help people meet immediate expenses related to shelter, evacuation, and basic household needs. FEMA can also assist if you lost your job due to the disaster or if you need food assistance. FEMA only provides financial assistance to people who have needs not met by another source like insurance. FEMA can help people who are underinsured.
Does FEMA always help after a disaster?
No. FEMA individual assistance is not available after every disaster. It depends on the size and scope of the disaster. There must be a certain level of uninsured damages in the area. FEMA assistance is only available if the president declares the situation a federally declared disaster with Individual Assistance. Many disasters do not meet this threshold. FEMA assistance is generally only available for large-scale, catastrophic disasters. It is generally not available for the smaller, localized disasters that occur most often.
FEMA assistance registration timeline
The initial registration period begins on the date a Presidentially Declared Disaster with Individual Assistance is declared and continues for 60 days. This initial period may be extended as determined by FEMA. FEMA will then accept late applications for a further 60 days.
FEMA application
How do I apply for assistance from FEMA? What information will FEMA ask for when I apply? You will need the following information when applying for assistance:
- Social Security Number – At least one adult or child in your household must be a U.S. Citizen with a Social Security Number.
- Insurance information – You will need information regarding the type of coverage you have. This includes homeowners, renters, mobile home, flood, and automobile insurance.
- Damage information – What type of dwelling and/or vehicle was damaged? What type of disaster caused the damages?
- Financial information – What is your annual household income before taxes?
- Contact information – What is the address and phone number of the damaged property? What is your current contact information if it is has changed?
- Direct Deposit information – Optionally, you can provide FEMA with the name of your bank, the type of bank account like checking or savings, your routing number, and your account number. With this information, FEMA can directly deposit any financial assistance you receive into your bank account. If you do not provide this information, FEMA will send any financial assistance you receive by check to the current address you provide.
FEMA personnel may be available to assist with applications at local disaster recovery centers, or they may send special Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams into affected areas to assist with applications. FEMA also has a smart phone application that can be downloaded at www.fema.gov or from your smartphone’s application store. To apply by phone, or to receive help with a current application, you can call:
1(800)621-3326
Or
TTY 1(800)462-7585
What is the application process like? What can I expect?
FEMA can provide many types of assistance.
The first type of assistance survivors of a disaster will receive are Mass Care and Emergency Assistance. This includes emergency evacuation, reunification assistance, care for pets, and service animals, as well as emergency shelter and food. FEMA assists in coordinating this assistance through local voluntary agencies and organizations. All survivors of disaster are eligible for this assistance, and there is no application necessary.
Additionally, insurance claims should be filed if you have some form of insurance that will cover damages caused by a disaster. FEMA may not require you to do this immediately, but you should act quickly to file insurance claims.
Federal assistance may be available for uninsured or underinsured disaster survivors. It may also be available if you experience a delay in receiving insurance funds you may be entitled to. The type of assistance that you will be applying for is Individual Assistance (IA). Please know that federal assistance cannot duplicate benefits provided by other sources, including insurance, and is not meant to pay for all losses caused by a disaster. Federal assistance from FEMA only provides funds to make basic repairs to make a home safe, sanitary, and livable. There are several types of financial and direct assistance through FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. These include but are not limited to:
Housing Assistance
- Rental Assistance to rent alternate housing while an applicant is displaced from a disaster-damaged primary residence. Rental Assistance may be used to rent a house, apartment, manufactured home, recreational vehicle, or other readily fabricated dwelling.
- Lodging Expense Reimbursement for hotels, motels, or other short-term lodging while an applicant is displaced from a disaster-damaged primary residence.
- Home Repair Assistance to help restore an owner-occupied, disaster-damaged primary residence to safe and sanitary conditions.
- Replacement Assistance to help homeowners replace an owner-occupied primary residence when it is destroyed by the disaster.
Other Needs Assistance (ONA)
- FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance provides survivors with financial assistance for uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, medical and dental expenses caused by the disaster, and other serious disaster-related costs.
Additional programs such as Crisis Counseling, Disaster Legal Service, and Disaster Unemployment Assistance may also be available.
Your application status may change several times as it is reviewed. You can always check your latest status by logging into DisasterAssistance.gov. When applying, you will have the choice to sign up for email, phone calls, and text updates. Remain alert and protect yourself against scams
Sometimes for your application to continue in the review process, FEMA may need more information from you. You can submit the documents with your name and application number by:
- Uploading documents online in the Upload Center at DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Mailing to FEMA, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
- Faxing to 1-800-827-8112.
Read any messages carefully that FEMA has sent you. These pieces of information will explain any decision FEMA has made and will tell you what steps you need to take.
The following are important steps that will be required during the application process:
- Verify Your Identity: If FEMA is unable to verify your identity during the application process, you will be required to submit supporting documents.
- Verify Home Ownership/Occupancy: FEMA is required by law to verify an applicant’s home occupancy and to verify homeownership if you are applying for certain types of housing assistance.
- Get a Home Inspection: After you apply with FEMA, your request for assistance is reviewed to determine if an inspection is needed to verify disaster-related damage to your home and personal property.
- Submit Documentation: You can visit DisasterAssistance.gov to submit documentation and check the status of your application online.
FEMA will send you a written decision. It is important that you keep this notice and note the date you received it. If you receive financial assistance, this notice will contain information regarding what you can purchase with these funds. Keep all receipts for the purchases you make with funds FEMA provides you with. You may need to produce them for FEMA in the future. FEMA may require you purchase and maintain a flood insurance policy in order to be eligible for Individual Assistance after future disasters.
What if I do not agree with the amount of money that FEMA is going to give me?
Go to this article: FEMA Appeals Process.