Registering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the first step in qualifying for disaster assistance. If you have homeowners’ or renters’ insurance, your next step is to contact your insurance agent to see if your damage is covered.
In the aftermath of the June 22-29 severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, FEMA is advising survivors who experienced property damage to contact both FEMA and their insurance company. Wednesday, Aug. 24, is the last date to apply to FEMA.
If you live in Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers or Webster county you may qualify for assistance from FEMA – even if you have insurance.
If you are a homeowner or renter; your home or personal property was damaged by the storms; you have insurance, and you have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance:
• You must contact your insurance agent to file a claim with your insurance company.
• You should be prepared to fully describe to your agent the damage caused by the storms.
• You should keep a record of all contacts you have with the agent and the insurance company.
• You should keep a record of the claim number and the date you called to make the claim.
• FEMA will send you a letter requesting insurance claim documentation, such as a decision letter (settlement or denial) from your insurance company, in order to further process your application.
FEMA will not duplicate benefits that are covered by insurance, but you may be eligible for help with losses not covered or those in excess of your insurance coverage. However, you will not be considered for this assistance until FEMA receives a decision letter from your insurance company.
If you experience an excessive delay (30 days or more) in receiving an insurance settlement after filing a claim, you may be eligible for an advanced one-time “rental assistance award” payment. If you fail to file an insurance claim, you will not be considered for advanced rental assistance. Your request for advanced rental assistance must be in writing.
For more information about delayed or insufficient insurance settlements, click on the “What If I Have Insurance?” section at https://www.fema.gov/individual-disaster-assistance# .
Homeowners and renters may be eligible for FEMA Other Needs Assistance (ONA) grants to help with uninsured or underinsured expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster, including:
• Child care;
• Moving and storage expenses;
• Disaster-related funeral, dental and
medical expenses, such as wheelchairs, canes and prescriptions;
• Repair or replacement of personal property lost or damaged in the storm, including furniture and appliances; and
• Primary vehicles, approved second vehicles and modified vehicles damaged by the disaster.
FEMA encourages both insured and uninsured survivors who sustained disaster-related damage or losses to apply by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800-621-3362 (TTY users should call 800-462-7585) or online at DisasterAssistance.gov . The toll-free lines are available 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Aug. 24 is the last day for survivors to file an application.
