On July 2, 2021, FEMA authorized the implementation of Critical Needs Assistance for eligible survivors of the Surfside Building Collapse at Champlain Towers South, 8777 Collins Avenue.
- Critical Needs Assistance is a one-time $500 payment per eligible household who has immediate or critical needs because they are displaced from their primary dwelling.
- Immediate or critical needs are life- saving and life-sustaining items including, but not limited to, water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, consumable medical supplies, durable medical equipment, personal hygiene items and fuel for transportation.
Survivors may be eligible for Critical Needs Assistance if they:
- Complete a FEMA application.
- Pass FEMA’s identity verification process.
- When applying with FEMA, assert that they have critical needs and request financial assistance for those needs and expenses.
- Have a pre-disaster primary residence at Champlain Towers South, 8777 Collins Avenue in Surfside, FL.
Eligible survivors must be registered with FEMA to receive Critical Needs Assistance
- Survivors who have already applied with FEMA do not need to take any additional steps to receive Critical Needs Assistance.
- Survivors whose primary residence was at Champlain Towers South, 8777 Collins Avenue need to apply for FEMA assistance if they have not already done so.
- To apply with FEMA, visit the Family Assistance Center at the Sea View Hotel at 9909 Collins Avenue open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily. There are state, local and volunteer resources onsite at the center to help with additional needs.
- If you are unable to apply in person, call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or
TTY: 1-800-462-7585 to apply.
Critical Needs Assistance is awarded under the Other Needs Assistance provision of FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. Funds awarded for Critical Needs Assistance count toward the applicant’s financial Other Needs Assistance maximum of $36,000 (FY2021), which is an annually adjusted amount based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index.