LINCOLN, Neb – Residents and business owners in Boone, Buffalo, Custer, Knox, Richardson and Thurston Counties and the Santee Sioux Nation may now apply for disaster assistance for losses resulting from the severe winter storm, straight-line winds and flooding in March.
Additional counties may be added as damage assessments continue. Impacted homeowners and businesses are encouraged to report their damages to local emergency management. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) staff continue to work tirelessly to assess and validate additional damages.
How to apply:
- Online, visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
- On a smart phone, download the FEMA app and click on “disaster resources,” then “apply for assistance online.”
- By phone, call FEMA’s toll-free registration line at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585; or use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS). Telephone registration is available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time seven days a week.
- Visit a Disaster Recovery Center and speak to a FEMA specialist one-on-one. To find the nearest DRC, go online to FEMA.gov/DRC.
Business owners, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters may be eligible for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help recover from losses not covered by insurance, grants or other sources. Businesses and residents can visit SBA.gov/disaster call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. TTY users may call 800-877-8339.
For qualified homeowners and renters, disaster grants help pay for basic repairs to make a home habitable, temporary rental assistance, and serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other sources.
Previously, these counties were designated for FEMA Individual Assistance: Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington.
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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
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 faced discrimination, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362, voice/VP/711. Multilingual operators are available. TTY users may call 800-462-7585.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. TTY users may also call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visit SBA at www.SBA.gov/disaster .