Financial & legal aid

FEMA

Information you need when applying for FEMA aid

  • Social security number
  • Address of the damaged home or apartment
  • Description of the damage
  • Information about insurance coverage
  • Telephone number
  • Mailing address
  • Bank account & routing numbers for direct deposit of funds

Financial assistance

Recovering financially – Turn to the American Red Cross for advice on insurance claims, cash flow, bills, and debts after disaster. Includes a list of vital documents with details on how to get them replaced.

Disaster loans – Small Business Administration loan types include home and personal property, business, and economic injury. Questions? Call the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955.

GovLoans.gov – Gateway to all types of loans through the Department of Labor.

Jobs and benefits

Disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) – If you lost work because of a disaster, you may qualify. 

Employee Benefits Security Administration – Get answers about health coverage and retirement benefits. Submit complaints about denial of benefits or report a problem with a plan. Call 1-866-444-3272 for a benefits advisor.

Legal assistance

Business and farms

  • Disaster loans – Small Business Administration loan types include home and personal property, business, and economic injury. Questions? Call the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955.
  • Disaster assistance programs – The US Department of Agriculture offers a variety of programs and services to help communities, farmers, ranchers and businesses that have been hard hit by a hurricane.
  • American Red Cross Ready RatingTM – Evaluate and improve your business’s ability to face and recover from a disaster.
  • Farmstead preparedness and recovery – Disaster preparedness and recovery techniques for farms and ranches.
  • Anticompetitive conduct – Learn how to spot and report disaster-related anticompetitive conduct. This includes bid rigging, price fixing and customer or market allocation.

Insurance

Insurance tips

  • Carefully read your policy to see your coverage. This includes property, auto and health and umbrella policies.
  • Know the deadlines to send written notices and do not wait to the end of the time period to submit your written notice.
  • Make an inventory of lost or damaged items
  • Take photos and or videos of damages before making repairs.
  • Gather receipts you have for lost or damaged items.
  • Prepare a list of items you want the adjuster to check.
  • Be nice to your adjuster.
  • Keep notes with dates, time and names when speaking to the insurance company.
  • Keep all mailed correspondences from the insurance company.
  • Carefully read paperwork before depositing checks.

Replacing important documents

  • Replace vital records – Browse a list of sites where you can get everything from your Social Security card to your passport replaced.
  • Replace U.S. currency – U.S. Department of Treasury. Find out how to submit a claim for damaged or mutilated notes and coins. See examples of damaged currency.
  • Replace U.S. savings bonds – U.S. Department of Treasury. Bonds are now only reissued or replaced in electronic form, or you can ask to have them cashed.
  • Salvage procedure – How to care for materials affected by disaster: papers records, books, photos, film, and magnetic media, like audio, video and computer disks.

Identity theft

  • Identity theft – Find out how to protect yourself against identity theft, especially if you’ve lost important documents.

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