Deadline Extended For FEMA's Relocation Assistance Program
Residents urged to apply today for up to $4,000 for relocation expenses
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Release Number: 1604-634
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will extend the Relocation Assistance program to Aug. 31, 2008. To date, 504 Mississippi families have been helped with moving and transportation costs incurred as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Applicants displaced from their primary residence in a disaster-declared area as a result of Katrina are eligible for up to $4,000 in relocation expenses incurred between Aug. 29, 2005 and Aug. 31, 2008.
For families who are already living in Mississippi in FEMA travel trailers or mobile homes, FEMA will pay moving expenses to a FEMA-funded rental resource anywhere in the continental United States. If an applicant is returning to Mississippi, he or she must relocate to housing that is not provided by FEMA and is not a hotel or motel.
Disaster assistance from FEMA, including relocation assistance, may not exceed the FEMA Individuals and Households Program cap of $26,200, and the applicant must not have received funds from any other state, federal or voluntary agency subsidized travel home program.
Evidence of expenses, such as receipts, must be provided for reimbursement. Verifiable estimates, to include potential travel dates and a verifiable new address, must be provided for an advance. Mileage, gas and other travel-related expenses such as food incurred while using a privately owned vehicle are not eligible costs; neither are moving costs for recreational or large luxury items such as boats or recreational vehicles.
"We're continuing to draw from our toolbox to help families move forward in their recovery," said Sid Melton, director of FEMA's Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office. "This expands the assistance available to help families move out of travel trailers and mobile homes and into permanent housing."
Relocation assistance will be limited to travel costs including airfare, train, bus and/or a rental vehicle. Furniture transportation expenses also are eligible, including commercially rented equipment for hauling and commercially purchased moving materials or moving services.
For more information on FEMA's Relocation Assistance program or to request reimbursement of relocation expenses, call (800) 621-FEMA (3362) or TTY (800) 462-7585, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 04-Mar-2008 14:39:17