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Hurricane Matthew

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To see more photos from Hurricane Matthew, visit our collection in the FEMA Photo Library.

State-Specific Information

Social Media Accounts

Apply for Assistance:

  1. Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov
  2. Call 800-621-3362 (711 or Video Relay Service). If you use TTY, call 800-462-7585
  3. Visit a Disaster Recovery Center

Stay in Touch

After you apply, we may need to contact you to schedule an inspection or to get additional information to help process your application. Let us know as soon as possible if you’ve moved or have a new phone number.

Update contact information online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by 800-621-3362 (711 or Video Relay Service). If you use TTY, call 800-462-7585.

By the Numbers

Staff on the Ground
  • 2,900+ FEMA boots on the ground
  • 418 housing inspectors

Individuals & Households Program

  • 151,000+ registrations
  • 105,000,000+ dollars approved

National Flood Insurance Program

  • 19,600+ claims filed
  • 48,000,000+ dollars in advance payments to policyholders
Commodities
  • More than 5,900,000 meals
  • More than 4,300,000 liters of water
  • More than 87,000 blankets
  • 500 generators
As of (11-03-2016)

Newsroom

For national media inquiries please contact FEMA-News-Desk@fema.dhs.gov, or the news desk at (202) 646-3272.

To see latest news releases, visit the state-specific pages and click on the News section:

Multimedia

Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions about Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program

What is hazard mitigation?

Hazard mitigation is an action that is taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. Examples of mitigation include home elevation, home acquisition and relocation, and dry floodproofing of historic homes or non-residential buildings. For more information and more examples of mitigation actions, visit www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.

How do I qualify for a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant?

  • Your home must be located in a presidentially declared disaster state. To find out if your home is in a declared disaster area, go to www.fema.gov/disasters.
  • Your community must have an approved hazard mitigation plan and be willing to participate in the program. To find out if your community has one, contact your State Hazard Mitigation Officer. Contact information is available at /state-hazard-mitigation-officers.
  • You cannot submit the application for an HMGP grant directly to FEMA. You must apply for the grant through your State, community, federally recognized tribe, or certain non-profit organizations.  Your State or local government may have set additional eligibility criteria.  For more information, visit /hazard-mitigation-grant-program.
  • You may be required to pay part of the cost. There is a cost match requirement. FEMA generally pays 75 percent of the cost of the mitigation action, and the homeowner is responsible for the other 25 percent. Sometimes the community or state absorbs some or all of the 25 percent non-Federal match requirement.
  • The project must be cost-effective, technically feasible, and approved by FEMA.
  • If you start work before notification from your State/tribal/local government official, you may not be eligible.

How do I know if my house is Substantially Damaged? Can someone inspect it?

Substantial Damage is damage of any origin sustained by a building whereby the cost of restoring the building to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the building before the damage occurred.

If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and your home is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), an area with a high risk of flooding, your community is responsible for determining whether your home has been Substantially Damaged. All communities that participate in the NFIP must adopt and enforce local regulations and codes that apply to development in SFHAs and are responsible for administering the Substantial Damage requirements incorporated into local floodplain management regulations or codes. Contact your local floodplain management or building official to ask about Substantial Damage determinations in your community.

My house was damaged by recent flooding. Do I have to elevate it? Who can tell me whether or not I should elevate it?

In NFIP-participating communities, the local floodplain management regulations or codes contain NFIP requirements that apply to new construction and also to Substantially Damaged and Substantially Improved buildings. One of the requirements is that the lowest floor in buildings in SFHAs be elevated to or above the base flood elevation (BFE). The BFE elevation requirement is an NFIP minimum. Some States and communities have adopted higher elevation requirements, often expressed as some additional height above the BFE or the BFE plus freeboard.

If the lowest floor of your house is not already located at or above your community’s regulatory flood elevation (BFE or higher) and incurs Substantial Damage or undergoes Substantial Improvement, you will be required to meet this elevation requirement. One of the ways to meet the requirement is to elevate your house.

Your local floodplain management or building official can help you determine whether elevation is appropriate for your home. Furthermore, a design professional, such as a registered engineer or architect, can evaluate your home to determine whether building elevation is possible. For more information on building elevation, see FEMA P-312, Homeowners’ Guide to Retrofitting (/media-library/assets/documents/480).

Are homes that were unoccupied during a hurricane eligible for buyout or are only occupied homes eligible for buyout?

As long as a home meets FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) program eligibility requirements, FEMA allows buyout, but States or communities may have restrictions depending on funding availability. For example, after Hurricane Floyd, North Carolina limited funding availability for buyouts to homes that had been occupied for at least 6 months before the hurricane.

If I am awarded a grant for a buyout, do I still have to pay anything?

The State or community may absorb all or portion of the non-Federal cost of the buyout. If the State or community does not absorb the cost, the homeowner is responsible for it.

How does Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) work and what does it cover?

If your home or business is damaged by flooding, you may be required to meet building requirements in local floodplain management ordinances to reduce the potential for future flood damage before you repair or rebuild. To help you cover the cost of meeting these requirements, the NFIP includes ICC coverage for all new and renewed Standard Flood Insurance Policies.

Standard Flood Insurance Policy policyholders in SFHAs can get up to $30,000 to help pay the cost of bringing their homes or businesses into compliance with their community's floodplain ordinance.

There are four options you can take to comply with your community's floodplain management ordinance and help you reduce future flood damage. You may decide which option is best for you:

  • Elevation. Your home or business is elevated to or above the flood elevation requirement adopted by your community.
  • Relocation. Your home or business is relocated out of harm’s way.
  • Demolition. Your flood-damaged home or business is torn down.
  • Dry Floodproofing. Dry floodproofing is available primarily for non-residential buildings but can also be used for historic residential building. It involves making a building watertight through a combination of adjustments or additions of features to the building that reduces the potential for flood damage.

For more ICC Information, visit /increased-cost-compliance-coverage.

I have a lot of mold in my house after the storm. Is there a grant or other financial assistance to clean up the mold?

Unfortunately, none of the FEMA mitigation grants cover mold cleanup. Ask your local or State health department whether they provide any assistance with mold cleanup.

I received Individuals and Households Program (IHP) Assistance or Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan to repair my structure. Do I still qualify for mitigation?

FEMA IHP Assistance for repair or replacement of structural damage may be treated as Duplication of Benefits (DOB) unless you can demonstrate, through receipts, that the funds were used for their intended purpose (repair or replacement). In addition, if the funds were used for temporary housing, there is no DOB per current IHP policy, but valid rental or other receipts are required as documentation of the use of repair funds. However, if IHP funds are used toward a down payment on new, permanent housing, the funds will be considered DOB and will be deducted from the purchase offer for an acquisition project.

If you are using a SBA disaster loan for repairs, you should not have an issue with eligibility for FEMA HMA funding, but you should keep all receipts for repair work to document that there was no DOB.

Where can I find additional resources?

Visit /hazard-mitigation-assistance or call the FEMA HMA helpline at 1-866-222-3580.

For Businesses

Business access to disasters is always a challenge particularly after life-saving evacuations that occurred during the incident. To assist businesses of all sizes to understand access and re-entry procedures, a one page overview of all four states has been produced to facilitate the flow of commerce and return to normalcy.

To join the NBEOC, report challenges of re-opening, or raise awareness of efforts to help survivors email: NBEOC@fema.dhs.gov.

Established social media hashtags for businesses to report public safety concerns, share barriers to accessing sites, and note being ready for customers after #Matthew are:

Filing a Flood Insurance Claim

If you have experienced a flood, you can file your flood insurance claim by following these three steps.

STEP ONE: NOTIFY YOUR INSURER TO START THE CLAIMS PROCESS

After experiencing a flood, contact your agent or insurance company to file a claim. Make sure you have the following information handy:

  • The name of your insurance company
  • Your policy number
  • A telephone and/or email address where you can be reached at all times

An adjuster should contact you within a few days of filing your claim. If you do not hear from an adjuster, please contact your insurance agent or company again. Find your company’s toll-free phone number.

STEP TWO: DOCUMENT THE DAMAGE

Separate damaged from undamaged property. Your adjuster will need evidence of the damage to your home and possessions to prepare your repair estimate.

  • Take photographs of all of the damaged property, including discarded objects, structural damage, and standing floodwater levels.
  • Make a list of damaged or lost items and include their date of purchase, value, and receipts, if possible.
  • Officials may require disposal of damaged items so, if possible, place flooded items outside of the home.

STEP THREE: COMPLETE A PROOF OF LOSS TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM

Your adjuster will assist you in preparing a Proof of Loss (which is your sworn statement of the amount you are claiming including necessary supporting documentation) for your official claim for damages. You'll need to file your Proof of Loss with your insurance company within 60 days of the flood. You'll receive your claim payment after you and the insurer agree on the amount of damages and the insurer has your complete, accurate, and signed Proof of Loss.

How to Help

When disaster strikes, every little bit helps. To make the most of your contributions, please follow our guidelines to learn the most effective and safest ways to donate cash, goods, or time following a disaster.

  • Cash is best. Financial contributions to recognized disaster relief organizations are the fastest, most flexible, and most effective method of donating. Organizations on the ground know what items and quantities are needed, often buy in bulk with discounts and, if possible, purchase through area businesses which supports economic recovery.
  • Confirm donations needed. Critical needs change rapidly – confirm needed items BEFORE collecting; pack and label carefully; confirm delivery locations; arrange transportation. Unsolicited goods NOT needed burden local organizations’ ability to meet survivors’ confirmed needs, drawing away valuable volunteer labor, transportation, and warehouse space.
  • Connect to volunteer. Trusted organizations operating in the affected area know where volunteers are needed, and can ensure appropriate volunteer safety, training, and housing.

States affected by Hurricane Matthew have provided the following additional information on the best ways to help survivors.

FLORIDA

Volunteer Florida serves as Florida’s lead agency for volunteers and donations before, during, and after disasters.

Individuals interested in helping following Hurricane Matthew may register online to volunteer, or call the Volunteer and Donations Hotline.

Volunteer Florida CEO Chester W. Spellman said “One of the most critical times to use volunteers is following disasters. Whether it is shelter staffing, food distribution, or to assist with clean up, we will need volunteers positioned to serve immediately with local disaster relief organizations. Having volunteers prepared and ready to deploy will be a critical tool as we move forward.”

GEORGIA

Please volunteer and donate responsibly. For information on volunteering in Georgia, email volunteer@gemhsa.ga.gov.

NORTH CAROLINA

  • Monetary Donations & Volunteer Opportunities: Governor Pat McCrory has activated the NC Disaster Relief Fund to which monetary contributions may be made. To make a donation, please visit ncdisasterrelief.org. You may also text NCRECOVERS to 30306 to donate funds. All donations received will support Hurricane Matthew long-term recovery efforts in North Carolina. All other monetary donations & offers to volunteer may be made directly through charitable nonprofit organizations that are responding to this disaster. Information is available under “Hurricane Matthew--Donate Now” on the NC Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NCVOAD) website at ncvoad.org.
  • Clothing: Clothing items are not being accepted at this time. Please donate clothing items to charitable organizations in your local community which can make best use of these donated items.
  • Food: Please donate food items through local food banks & charities in your community.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Monetary Donations: The One SC Fund supports & directs funds to nonprofit organizations providing disaster relief & recovery assistance.
  • Volunteer Opportunities: First consider volunteering within your own networks, such as churches or civic groups. If you are not affiliated with a group, please register at VolunteerSC.org to be matched with appropriate opportunities & training.
  • SC Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (SCVOADs): Additionally, consider making a direct donation to or finding local volunteer opportunities with relief organizations listed at the SC Emergency Management Division website below.
  • Clothing & Food: Please take these donations to charitable organizations in your community. You can confirm most-needed food items by contacting the South Carolina Food Bank Association.
  • For updates & additional information, please call 1-888-585-9643, or visit scemd.org/recovery-section/donations-and-volunteers.
Last Updated: 
11/30/2016 - 08:14

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