SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – If you suffered property damage or loss directly caused by Hurricane Maria, you are encouraged to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and apply for disaster assistance – even if you have insurance. Help may be available for uninsured or underinsured damages and if insurance claims are not promptly settled.
To date, more than 280,000 disaster survivors have registered for assistance.
Federal assistance for homeowners and renters can include grants for rent, temporary housing, home repairs to primary residences as well as other disaster-related needs. The aid FEMA provides is for basic survivor needs and is the first step to recovery. The Small Business Administration also offers low interest loans for personal property, real property, and business losses.
To begin the application process, please have the following available:
- Your address with zip code
- Directions to your property
- Condition of your damaged home
- Insurance information, if available
- Social Security number
- Phone number where you can be contacted
- Address where you can get mail
Direct Deposit:
- Disaster assistance funds can be sent directly to your bank account
- Provide your bank account type, account number, and bank routing number
Stay in touch with FEMA:
- After registering, you will be given a FEMA registration number
- Be sure to write your number down and save it
- You will need the number whenever you contact FEMA
After your registration process is complete, you will receive a call from FEMA to follow up. An inspector will schedule an appointment to visit your home. Please note that FEMA-contracted inspectors will not require bank account information.
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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service)
(TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters, which can cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. The loan application process can be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.