PEMA, FEMA Offers Disaster Recovery Briefs 

Release Date: April 29, 2005
Release Number: 1587-016

» More Information on Pennsylvania Severe Storms and Flooding

TEMPORARY HOUSING
Did the April floods force you to leave your home? Did you have to stay at a hotel or motel until the water receded? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may pay your lodging tab. Homeowners and renters living in the declared counties can get temporary housing assistance, or other state and federal aid by applying at 1-800-621-3362, or by registering online at: www.fema.gov/about/process.

IT’S NOT THE SAME OLD RECOVERY
After Hurricane Ivan drenched Pennsylvania, did you call the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s toll-free telephone number and apply for state and federal flood recovery assistance? The storms of early April are a different event with a different presidential declaration. If you sustained flood damages from the swollen rivers in April, you must call 1-800-621-3362 to register again for state and federal aid. With each new disaster recovery declaration, you must re-register if you want assistance.

CALL BEFORE YOU COME TO THE DRC
State-and-federal Disaster Recovery Centers are great places to get answers about U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans, state and federal disaster recovery programs, direct lines to state and voluntary agencies, and to determine whether these aid programs are what you want. The centers let you meet face-to-face with assistance specialists who assess the uniqueness of your situation. But to be effective, you must first call the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s registration number, 1-800-621-3362 and apply for state and federal disaster aid. After making that call, you will receive a claim identification number that the Disaster Recovery Center specialist can use to track recovery progress on your claim.

DON’T GET STUCK WITH HOME REPAIR COSTS FROM THE FLOOD
If you replaced wet insulation and plasterboard, saturated flooring, sopping ceiling tiles or other flood-damaged building materials before the April presidential disaster declaration, you did the right thing. Flood-soaked walls and floors are breeding sites for disease and mold. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can reimburse eligible home repair expenses. Call the FEMA registration number at 1-800-621-3362 and apply for state and federal disaster assistance. Repair cost receipts or credit card billings are useful, but photos of pre-existing damage can be used, too. Even if you lack these cost verifications a FEMA inspector will visit your home and you can show them the repairs.

THE ONLY WAY TO GET FEDERAL AND STATE AID IS TO CALL FEMA
After a disaster many worthwhile agencies rush to the aid of survivors – PEMA, the American Red Cross, voluntary groups, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and others. But there’s only one-way to get state and federal disaster assistance – call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 1-800-621-3362 and register. You may have signed-up with other recovery organizations, but if you haven’t called FEMA yet you are not registered for assistance.

UNSEEN DAMAGES COME WITH FLOODING
Not all damage caused by flooding is easily seen or immediately felt. Floodwaters can carry disease and mold spores that settle in heating ducts, fester in the summer, and be spread through your house in the winter. Floodwaters can affect your sewer and water systems. And flooding may unsettle your house foundation. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) inspectors can assess these possible damages. Call FEMA’s registration number – 1-800-621-3362 – and apply for state and federal assistance.

YOU’RE NOT OBLIGATED WHEN YOU REGISTER FOR FEMA AID
Applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster recovery assistance does not obligate you. An eligible applicant can stop the state and federal aid or U.S. Small Business Administration process anytime. After you register by calling FEMA at 1-800-621-3362, you can visit a PEMA/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center to speak with a recovery specialist and determine if the aid programs are right for you.

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003

Last Modified: Monday, 02-May-2005 09:28:01