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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Residents of the 14 counties designated as eligible for FEMA’s Individual and Household Assistance, due to the January storms, are urged to register with FEMA for disaster assistance no later than March 16, 2023.
FEMA disaster assistance cannot return you to your pre-disaster situation. It is meant to help you into a safe, secure and sanitary situation. If your home is damaged, you may either receive funds to aid with its repair or if it’s unlivable an offer of temporary housing. The Individual Assistance Program also can provide funds to eligible survivors to replace clothing, furniture, or other contents of your home.
FEMA encourages survivors to apply for a disaster loan from the Small Business Administration, the federal government’s main source of disaster funding for long-term rebuilding. Not everyone will be eligible for an SBA loan or will want one, but the process opens other avenues to FEMA funds that finance additional needs such as medical/dental needs and transportation.
Registering with FEMA is as easy as a phone call to 800-621-3362. The FEMA Hotline is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is staffed by multilingual operators. If you use a video relay service, captioned telephone service, or other communication services, you must provide FEMA the specific number assigned for your service. You can also register through DisasterAssistance.gov, or the FEMA mobile app.
Here is what you’ll need when you contact FEMA:
- Social Security number
- Current phone number
- Address of the damaged home (including ZIP code)
- Description of the damage
- Current address where you get mail or email
- Bank account number and routing number for direct deposit of funds
- If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name
- If you are unable to locate important documentation, FEMA will help you identify other ways to verify your information.
FEMA assistance is your tax dollars at work in California, potentially providing funds to help start your recovery process. So, don’t delay further. The deadline is near!
For the latest information on California’s recovery from the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, visit FEMA.gov/disaster/4683. You may also follow twitter.com/Cal_OES, facebook.com/CaliforniaOES, @FEMARegion9/Twitter and Facebook.com/FEMA.