Frequently Asked Questions About Disasters

While recovering from a disaster, you may find yourself or your family struggling emotionally. These emotions are normal and part of the recovery process. It’s important to know when to seek emotional or spiritual help.

Search for open shelters by texting SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. Example: Shelter 01234 (standard text messaging rates apply).

An eligible medical or dental expense must be a result of the disaster. Eligible expenses may be related to:

• Injury or illness caused by the disaster
• A pre-existing injury, disability or medical condition that was made worse by the disaster.
• Replacement of prescribed medication.
• Loss or damage to medical/dental equipment or medically required modified vehicle.
• Loss or injury of a service animal.

Yes! Before removing flood-damaged items from your home, take these steps:

• Take photos and videos.
• Record serial numbers.
• Keep receipts.
• Contact repair services.

To be eligible for Home Repair Assistance, FEMA must be able to verify that you owned and lived in your home as your primary residence at the time of the disaster.

FEMA typically verifies homeownership and occupancy through an automated public records search conducted at the time of registration. If FEMA is unable to verify this information via automated records search or other methods, you may be asked to submit documentation to verify your ownership and occupancy status.

By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits provided by insurance. If you have applicable insurance, you must submit your insurance settlement or denial to FEMA before being considered for Home Repair Assistance.

If downed trees do not affect the access to your home, you may not qualify for financial assistance with debris removal from FEMA. If insured, check your homeowner’s insurance policy. Many policies cover debris removal. 

You may call 2-1-1 for referral to local services. There may be agencies in your area that may provide debris removal services. Monitor your local newspaper, radio, and television. 

Through the Individuals and Households Program, FEMA may provide the following assistance for eligible expenses and losses that are not covered by insurance or any other source.

The following list includes the different types of assistance FEMA is authorized to offer through the state-requested disaster declaration process. The type of assistance available is dependent on the request from the state.

• Lodging Expense Reimbursement: Money to reimburse for hotels, motels, or other short-term lodging if you are temporarily displaced by the disaster.
• Rental Assistance: Money to rent alternate housing accommodations if you are displaced from your home because of the disaster.
• Home Repair/Replacement Assistance: If you are a homeowner and lived in the home at the time of the disaster, money to repair your disaster damaged primary residence, utilities, and residential infrastructure, or to help replace your primary residence when the residence is destroyed. If you were affected by a disaster declared on or after March 22, 2024, the money can also help with fixing areas of your home damaged by the disaster even if there was a pre-existing condition in that part of the home.
• Accessibility Needs: Money to help survivors with a disability with specific repairs that make their home accessible (such as exterior ramp, grab bars, and paved path to the home entrance). Repairs can be made when these items are damaged. Improvements can be made when those features were not present prior to the disaster and are needed due to a pre-existing disability or a disability caused by the disaster.
• Privately-owned Roads, Bridges, Docks: Money for survivors whose only access to their home has been damaged by the disaster.
• Direct Temporary Housing Assistance: Direct assistance that FEMA may deliver through providing Temporary Housing Units, Multi-Family Lease and Repair, or Direct Lease.
• Displacement Assistance: For disasters declared on or after March 22, 2024, money to help with immediate housing needs if you cannot return to your home because of the disaster. The money can be used to stay in a hotel, with family and friends, or other options while you look for a rental unit.
• Personal Property Assistance: Money to help you repair or replace appliances, room furnishings, and a computer damaged by the disaster. This can also include money for books, uniforms, tools, additional computers and other items required for school or work, including self-employment.
• Transportation Assistance: Money for your vehicle damaged by the disaster when you do not have another vehicle you can use. Unlike most other forms of the Individuals and Households Program assistance, an applicant does not need to live in the Presidentially declared disaster area to be considered for this assistance.
• Medical and Dental Assistance: Money to help you pay for expenses because the disaster caused an injury or illness. This money can also be used to help replace medical/dental equipment, breastfeeding equipment, damaged or lost prescribed medicine, or loss/injury of a service animal.
• Funeral Assistance: Money to help you pay for funeral or reburial expenses caused by the disaster.
• Child Care Assistance: Money for new or increased disaster-caused child care expenses.
• Moving and Storage Expenses: Money to help you move and store personal property from your home to prevent additional damage, typically used while you are making repairs to your home or moving to a new place due to the disaster.
• Assistance for Miscellaneous Items: Money for certain eligible items (such as a generator, dehumidifier, chainsaw, etc.) you purchased or rented after the disaster to assist with recovery.
• Group Flood Insurance Policy: If your home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and you have flood damage caused by the disaster, FEMA may purchase a Group Flood Insurance Policy on your behalf that gives you three years of coverage.
• Clean and Sanitize Assistance: Money to help you pay for very minor damage caused by the disaster to prevent additional loss and potential health or safety concerns. This money is only available in certain disasters if you had property damage but were not eligible for Home Repair or Replacement Assistance because FEMA determined you could still live safely in your home.
• Critical Needs Assistance: For disasters declared before March 22, 2024, money to help you pay for immediate needs such as water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, breastfeeding equipment, diapers, personal hygiene items, and fuels for transportation. *Critical Needs Assistance is not available in all disasters.
• Serious Needs Assistance: For disasters declared on or after March 22, 2024, money to help you pay for immediate needs such as water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, breastfeeding equipment, diapers, personal hygiene items, and fuels for transportation. *Serious Needs Assistance is available in all disasters, but you must meet eligibility requirements.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides some guidance on renter's rights. Additional help may be available by calling the toll-free legal aid hotline at (800) 310-7029.

To be eligible for Rental Assistance, you must meet the following basic eligibility criteria:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified non-citizen.
• FEMA must be able to verify your identity.
• Your insurance, or other forms of disaster assistance received, cannot meet your disaster-caused needs.
• FEMA must verify that your home is unlivable due to the disaster and you must agree to relocate.

Visit the Find Assistance page to see the different assistance you might be eligible for.