Are you a homeowner who received FEMA assistance for home repairs? Did you later discover that your furnace was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ida?
If your furnace was not covered by your insurance, FEMA may be able to provide additional assistance to repair or replace it. But you must appeal to FEMA in writing and include verifiable repair receipts or estimates.
FEMA may pay up to the actual cost of the receipt or estimate for a furnace. If you repaired or replaced the furnace, FEMA may provide assistance when valid estimates or receipts are submitted on appeal. When you apply for assistance, be sure to report any Hurricane Ida-related damage to the furnace.
The funding is available to eligible survivors in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties, which were included in the Hurricane Ida federal disaster declaration. Only owner-occupied primary homes can be considered for assistance. Vacation homes and second homes are not eligible.
Home Repair Assistance is available only to homeowners for uninsured or underinsured items and disaster-related expenses intended to make the residence safe, sanitary and functional. Some FEMA assistance is also available for other structural components at your primary home including wells, septic systems, water heaters and other electrical appliances.
Keep in mind: You must submit your written appeal within 60 days of the date of your FEMA determination letter. And be sure to include documentation to support the appeal request such as verifiable repair receipts or estimates, contractor estimates or other evidence to support your appeal.
Once you’ve sent FEMA an appeal, you can expect a decision letter within 90 days after FEMA receives it.
If you have questions about how to submit your appeal, visit a Disaster Recovery Center – DRC Locator (fema.gov) – or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Helpline operators are available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Press 2 for Spanish, press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language.
To apply for disaster assistance, you may also call the Helpline, visit DisasterAssistance.gov or use the FEMA mobile app.
Low-income individuals facing legal issues as a result of Ida may also call a toll-free line for advice: 888-399-5459. If you would like to have a legal service provider contact you, complete a form at https://nysba.org/ida. Examples of legal assistance available includes:
- counseling on landlord-tenant issues
- help with home-repair contracts and contractors
- consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process
- assistance securing government benefits
- assistance with life, medical and property insurance claims
- counseling on mortgage-foreclosure problems
For more online resources as well as FEMA downloadable pamphlets and other aids, visit DisasterAssistance.gov and click “Information.”
For referrals to agencies that support community-specific needs, call 211 or visit https://www.211nys.org/contact-us. For New York City residents, call 311.
For the latest on New York’s Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, visit fema.gov/disaster/4615. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion2 and facebook.com/fema.