Disaster Reporter Terms & Conditions

This page contains the Terms and Conditions for the Disaster Reporter feature in the FEMA App.

Purpose

1. The purpose of the FEMA Disaster Reporter is to crowdsource and share disaster-related information for events occurring within the United States, allowing citizens, first responders, emergency managers, community response & recovery teams, and others to view and contribute information on a publicly accessible map. 
2. The Disaster Reporter is a feature in the FEMA App that allows users to take a photograph in a disaster area and submit it, along with a short text description, for public display on a map.

Key Points

1. You must be 18 years or older to submit a photograph and/or text description.
2. The Disaster Reporter is not a replacement for 9-1-1 or calling local fire/EMS/police.  If you are in need of emergency assistance, please contact 9-1-1.
3. Do not put any person or property at risk of harm to use the Disaster Reporter.
4. Do not use the Disaster Reporter to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact your local police department.
5. By submitting a photograph, you acknowledge that you own the copyright to the photograph and any associated text description and grant FEMA a non-exclusive, royalty-free, unconditional, world-wide license to use, display, and redistribute a copy of the photograph and any text description in any format to any entity.  FEMA will attribute the photograph and any text description to “FEMA Disaster Reporter User.”
6. All content is moderated, meaning that photographs and text descriptions will be reviewed prior to being posted and are subject to rejection based on the Content Guidelines listed below.
7. FEMA does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted through the Disaster Reporter is correct and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information.  FEMA will not verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted through the Disaster Reporter. 
8. FEMA does not require users to create an account in order to submit content.  All users need is a smartphone and the FEMA App.
9. FEMA reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.
10. For questions, comments, or to ask that a photograph be removed, please e-mail FEMA-New-Media@fema.dhs.gov

Content Guidelines

1. Only disaster-related photographs and text descriptions of events taking place in the United States will be accepted.
2. All submitted photographs must be geo-tagged.
3. All content is moderated to ensure that it is disaster-related and on-topic.  All approved content will be made publicly available.
4. If part of a photograph or text description is deemed inappropriate, then the entire submission will be rejected.

Content (Photographs & Text Descriptions) That Will Not Be Accepted

1. Content that is not disaster-related and/or off-topic.
2. Content that includes abusive or vulgar language, hate speech, personal attacks, or similar content.
3. Content that includes personal information such as: a FEMA case number, social security number, identifiable addresses, automobile license plates, or any other information protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. 
4. Content that promotes any commercial entities or products.
5. Content that contains information on fundraising campaigns or partisan political activity.
6. Content that violates any person’s reasonable expectation of privacy or other privacy interest, including, but not limited to, people on private property, children, interiors of homes, deceased or injured persons, and interiors of hospitals or other medical facilities.

The Disaster Reporter is Not

• A place to report fraud.  Persons alleging FEMA benefits fraud should report complaints directly to the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline by calling (866) 720-5721 or via e-mail at disaster@leo.gov. 
• A place to send in photographs for official damage assessments or housing inspections, or questions or status inquiries about your specific case involving FEMA.  Instead, please contact FEMA by visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585 for people with speech or hearing disabilities.
• A place to submit unsolicited proposals or other business ideas or inquiries.  For more information, please visit doing business with FEMA.
• A place to submit a claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.
• A place to apply for a career with FEMA or inquire on the status of your job application.  FEMA job openings are available on USAJobs.gov.
• A substitute channel for Department of Homeland Security services or general questions. Instead, please visit "Contact Us" on www.dhs.gov.

Privacy Policy

All approved content will be made publicly available. FEMA will collect and retain all photographs and text descriptions in our records. For more information, please see the Privacy Policy.