How to Apply for FEMA Assistance
Fire and water are powerful elements that can also become nightmares of destruction. If you are someone who has suffered through an emergency and you need to apply for FEMA assistance, you will have to go through the application process. After all, FEMA is a government agency, so you will want to ensure you read over all the qualifications and application procedures fully before you send off your completed application to be sure that you have the best odds of seeing your relief money in a timely manner.
There are a few things that you will need to make sure that you know before you apply for assistance. You will have to provide the basics like your social security number, the address that you are currently staying at as well as the address where you were living before the disaster occurred. You will also need to have some advanced information like your insurance information, total household income, bank routing information, and a complete description of exactly what kind of losses you suffered as a result of the disaster. Once you have gathered all of this information you can go online to the FEMA website and apply directly for assistance.
Do I Qualify for Assistance?
First and foremost, to qualify for assistance, your losses must have occurred in an area covered by a disaster declaration.
Secondly, if you have insurance, you must file a claim with your insurance company.
Two types of disaster assistance, "Housing Needs" and "Other than Housing Needs", are available to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance.
- Do I qualify for "Housing Needs" assistance?
- Do I qualify for "Other than Housing Needs" assistance?
After you have applied, you will be given a reference number that you can use later to access the completed application so that you can know where your assistance stands. Also, this will make it easier to access if FEMA asks for more information and you must update your file. FEMA will often have to recheck and verify information that you have sent to them once (or more) before they will finally agree to pay out on your claim. It is important that you keep the reference number that they give to you handy at all times.
