Help keep yourself, your family and your community safe after Hurricane Helene by being aware of rumors and scams and sharing official information from trusted sources.
Do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by doing three easy things:
This is false. In most cases, FEMA grants do NOT have to be paid back.
There are some less common situations in which you may have to pay FEMA back if you receive duplicate benefits from insurance or a grant from another source. For example, if you have insurance that covers your temporary housing costs, but you ask FEMA to advance you some money to help you pay for those costs while your insurance is delayed, you will need to pay that money back to FEMA after you receive your insurance settlement.
If you are a homeowner or small business owner, low-interest disaster loans are also available from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in a declared major disaster area. These loans may help with home repair or replacement, personal property, vehicles, mitigation, business losses, and working capital for small business and most private nonprofits. Learn more about SBA disaster loans.
People need to apply for assistance one time per household. Do not re-submit or create a new application during the disaster assistance process. Submitting more than one application per disaster will cause delays.
You can check the status of your application or read any FEMA correspondence by accessing your DisasterAssistance.gov account or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
The FAA is not restricting access for recovery operations. The FAA is coordinating closely with state and local officials to make sure everyone is operating safely in very crowded and congested airspace.
Learn More from the FAA
FEMA provides assistance to survivors regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.
FEMA cannot seize your property or land. Applying for disaster assistance does not grant FEMA or the federal government authority or ownership of your property or land. When you apply for disaster assistance a FEMA inspector may be sent to verify the damage on your home. This is one of many factors reviewed to determine what kind of disaster assistance you may be eligible for. If the results of the inspection deem your home uninhabitable, that information is only used to determine the amount of FEMA assistance you may receive to make your home safe, sanitary and functional.
FEMA is still accepting assistance applications throughout areas affected by Helene. For current application timelines, visit disasterassistance.gov. You can also see if applications are being accepted on FEMA’s state specific Helene disaster webpages; Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
FEMA has enough money right now for immediate response and recovery needs. If you were affected by Helene, do not hesitate to apply for disaster assistance as there is a variety of help available for different needs.
This is false: FEMA does not ask for or generally accept any cash donations or volunteers for disaster response. We do encourage people who want to help to volunteer with or donate cash to reputable voluntary or charitable organizations. After a disaster, cash is often the best way to help as it provides the greatest flexibility for these reputable organizations working on the ground to purchase exactly what is needed.
If you encounter someone claiming to represent FEMA and asking for donations, be careful as that is likely a scam. Government employees will never solicit money.
Learn more about how to help after a disaster: How to Help After Hurricane Helene
This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.
Rumors about FEMA turning away donations, stopping trucks or vehicles with donations, confiscating and seizing supplies often spread after a disaster. These are all false.
FEMA does not take donations and/or food from survivors or voluntary organizations. Donations of food, water, or other goods are handled by voluntary agencies who specialize in storing, sorting, cleaning, and distributing donated items.
FEMA does not conduct vehicle stops or handle road closures with armed guards -- those are done by local law enforcement.
