Monday, May 17, 2010
Disaster Relief Available Through FEMA
Local residents who experienced damages as a result of flooding early in the month may be eligible for disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
As part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA is the organization that acts as coordinator of disaster recovery efforts. That agency partners with local, state and other federal agencies to offer assistance to those affected by federally declared disasters.
With that in mind, many remain confused as to whether they may be eligible for such assistance. At this point those who have sustained damage to their homes are advised to enter into the application process that will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
Relief is available only for damages not covered by your insurance company. Therefore, all claims need to be filed with your insurance company in a timely manner.
To fill out an application you may visit the website: www.DisasterAssistance.gov or you may call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Assistance is available in many languages as well as for the hard of hearing. The TTY number for assistance is 1-800-462-7585.
When applying you will be asked for the following information:
*Address of the damaged home
*Names of all persons in the household
*Description of disaster damages
*Insurance information
*A telephone number where you can be reached or receive a message
*Address where you can get mail
*If you want your disaster assistance funds sent directly to your bank, provide the FEMA agent with:
*your bank account type
*account number
*routing number
Once you enter into the application process you will be assigned an application number. You will need to keep that number on hand, as you will need it in the event of any and all future communication.
For more information you can visit: www.fema.gov.
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