Hurricane Rumor Response

This is false. A flood insurance claim does not automatically lead to a substantial damage determination. Local officials in your community will assess the flood damage to your home to make this determination on a case-by-case basis.

FEMA encourages all flood insurance policyholders who had damage to file claims. The amount of damage determined by local building inspectors DOES NOT affect the amount paid to National Flood Insurance Program policyholders. The NFIP will pay all damage covered under your policy.

This is false. A substantial damage determination DOES NOT affect the amount you receive for a claim under your National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy. The NFIP will pay all damage covered under your policy.

Some policyholders with substantially damaged homes may receive additional money through Increased Cost of Compliance coverage to help bring their building up to locally required building standards. Contact you flood insurance company or agent for more information.

This is false. FEMA does not tear down or condemn any structures. Local officials regulate development in areas that have a higher risk of flooding.

If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and local officials determine your home is substantially damaged, you may need to take extra steps to repair to current local building standards. Many local community ordinances require this when they decide the cost to repair your home is 50% or more of the fair market value. However, you need to ask your local community building officers for the specific information in your area. Recommend visiting the official webpage for your city or county for contact information.

Rebuilding to your community’s most current standards is important because it better protects property from the effects of flooding.

This is false. FEMA does not pay line workers directly. Electrical cooperative, private electrical or private communications and cable companies pay their employees and contractors.

In some situations, FEMA may reimburse eligible rural electrical cooperatives providing a governmental service for expenses resulting from a disaster through Public Assistance grants, but the agency does not pay workers directly. Private for-profit companies are not eligible for Public Assistance grants.

This is all false. "FEMA camp” rumors are founded in long-standing conspiracy theories intended to discredit our efforts to help survivors. FEMA does not round up or detain people, does not enact martial law, does not set up internment camps, and does not secretly operate mining settlements.

There are many responders and survivors who need lodging support after a disaster. FEMA creates temporary responder lodging near disaster locations so responder staff have a place to stay near the communities we are helping without taking needed hotels or other housing from survivors. Learn more about how FEMA provides housing support for survivors.

As part of the response to Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, FEMA established responder lodging in a few locations. As of October 23, 2024, there are over 1,600 FEMA staff in the state. The temporary responder lodging sites are only being used as a place to stay for personnel working in the hurricane-affected areas and not for any other purpose. As normal practice, these facilities have security to protect personnel.

This is false.

While taking steps to ensure the safety of our staff and the people we are trying to help, we continued to support the communities affected by Helene.

On October 12, 2024, FEMA was made aware of a potential threat to our staff in North Carolina. We made the decision to shift from sending FEMA disaster survivors assistance teams into neighborhoods to knock on doors to stationing teams at neighborhood locations where they could still meet and work with disaster survivors to help them get assistance. This decision was made through our usual field operations processes to ensure FEMA staff are safe and able to focus on helping disaster survivors.

We worked closely with local law enforcement and state officials throughout this process and announced on October 14 that FEMA teams will soon resume door-to-door survivor assistance.

FEMA will continue monitoring threat information and adjust this posture on a regular basis in coordination with local officials.

This is false.  

FEMA has a variety of programs and support services available to help survivors address their unique needs and jumpstart their recovery. This includes support for survivors who may not have any visible home damage, but do not have access to water or other essential utilities.  

Eligible survivors may also receive help with temporary housing through FEMA-provided assistance like Transitional Sheltering Assistance (if approved for their location), Displacement Assistance, Rental assistance or Lodging Expense Reimbursement.

Learn more about the types of FEMA assistance available to help disaster survivors. 

This is false.

FEMA is not blocking or preventing any aspect of debris removal, which is handled by local governments. FEMA does not directly handle debris removal, hire contractors to remove debris, or manage dump sites or transfer stations. FEMA does reimburse local, state or tribal governments for their storm-related debris removal.  

If you were affected by a hurricane and are wondering how to address debris removal for your property, check with your local county or municipal government for guidelines. Volunteer organizations and companies operating in your area may also be able to help. Learn more: 9 Ways to Stay Safe Cleaning Up Debris After a Disaster.

This is false.

FEMA does not hire, manage or supervise work performed by contractors for debris removal after storms. FEMA does not control or manage dump sites or transfer stations. FEMA does reimburse local, state or tribal governments for their storm-related debris removal. However, we have no control over local laws or ordinances for debris removal that may control transfer stations, dump sites or contracts.

This is a misleading statement.

To determine what assistance you may be eligible for, visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 to go through the application process. You will be asked questions during the application process about how the disaster affected you. Your application will be reviewed and you will be updated about the assistance you qualify for as it goes through the review process. Some forms of assistance may be provided sooner than others. You can check the status of your application any time by logging into DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.