If your home became unlivable due to Hurricane Helene and you had to move your personal property into another home or a storage facility to protect it from further damage, FEMA may provide financial assistance to help cover your moving and storage expenses.
To qualify for moving and storage assistance you must meet certain eligibility criteria:
- The home was damaged by Hurricane Helene and is your primary residence. Rental or vacation homes do not qualify.
- The property being moved and/or stored is considered essential personal property or household goods. These include appliances, such as a refrigerator or washing machine and furniture such a bed or sofa. This does not include recreational items, for example boats or fishing gear.
- You are moving and/or storing the items temporarily until you repair your home and can return to it, or until you find a new place to live and can move your belongings into your new home.
Only moving and/or storage costs not covered by another source such as insurance will be considered.
As long as the eligibility criteria are met, moving and storage assistance is available to owners, renters, people who live in public housing, private homes using a Section 8 housing choice voucher or survivors who live in assisted-living facilities.
Moving and storage assistance may be provided to help cover the following expenses:
- Costs for commercial moving labor.
- Moving truck rental fee.
- Fuel for the rental vehicle.
- Costs for tape and boxes.
- Commercial storage unit fees, including self-storage.
Apply for Assistance
If you have not applied for FEMA assistance yet, you can still submit your application. Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation who were affected by Hurricane Helene are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance.
You can apply in several ways:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
- In person at any Disaster Recovery Center. To find a center close to you, visit fema.gov/DRC, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”).
- On your phone using the FEMA mobile app.
- By calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.
FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.