Questions and Answers: FEMA Assistance (2024)

FAQs

Questions and Answers: FEMA Assistance? ›

Call toll-free 800-621-3362, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA App or visit a Disaster Recovery Center. The phone line is open daily, and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service such as VRS, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.

Your household's income. Address of the damaged property. Names of occupants living in the home at the time of the disaster. Account information, if you want to receive your funds through a direct deposit.

How long will it take to get FEMA/State disaster help? If you are eligible for help, you should receive a U.S. Treasury/State check or notification of a deposit to your bank account within about ten days of the inspector's visit. Other types of assistance may be provided later, based on specific eligibility and need.

The inspector will ask questions about disaster-caused losses and expenses including medical expenses, moving and storage expenses, items purchased in response to the disaster, uniforms, supplies, and tools required for school or employment. Inspectors will not climb on roofs or enter crawl spaces.

If eligible for assistance, you will receive a check or an electronic funds transfer. A follow-up letter will explain how the money can be used. For an accessible video on FEMA home inspections, go to FEMA Accessible: Home Inspections.

Ownership/Occupancy Verification

For certain types of assistance, FEMA must confirm the disaster-damaged home is your primary residence. For Home Repair or Replacement Assistance, FEMA also needs to confirm you owned the residence at the time of the disaster.

Between 2016 and 2022, the average FEMA disaster assistance grant award was $3,000. In the same period, the NFIP paid an average claim amount of more than $66,000. In some cases, policyholders may be eligible to couple their flood insurance claims with federal disaster assistance.

CNA is a one-time $500 payment per household. The State of California requested that FEMA authorize CNA for specific geographic areas that are expected to be inaccessible for seven days or longer. To be eligible for CNA Applicants must request it before September 5.

FEMA accepts the following documents as proof you lived in your home before the declared disaster: Lease or housing agreement. Rent receipts. Utility bill (electric, water/sewer, etc.)

Do FEMA inspectors text you? ›

Inspectors will not contact you by social media or email. FEMA will call or text you to arrange to meet you at the address where the damage was reported. They will leave messages and/or texts on your phone number listed on your FEMA application.

To be eligible for federal assistance, disaster survivors must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or qualified non-citizens. Survivors who do not qualify for federal assistance may still call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 for referrals to voluntary agencies.

Aligned with the founding principles of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), VALs are committed to fostering the four Cs: communication, coordination, collaboration, and cooperation.

How much help can FEMA give me? FEMA is limited by law to how much money we can provide. For disasters declared in Fiscal Year 2024, FEMA can provide up to $42,500 in Housing Assistance and up to $42,500 for Other Needs Assistance. Some types of help do not count toward these limits.

You will receive a letter explaining FEMA's eligibility decision within 10 days after the inspector's visit. Be sure to read it closely; it may explain additional steps needed to continue with the process.

Critical Needs Assistance is limited to a one-time $700 payment per household. Maybe you were displaced from your primary residence or you need help to move from your pre-disaster primary residence to temporarily shelter elsewhere.

A: FEMA verifies ownership by means of automated public and government records or through documents submitted by the applicant.

You will be asked for general information about your income, insurance, and the damage to your residence and housing needs. You will be given an application number, which will help locate your file in the system. Write this number down so you will have it secure and handy in the future.