Frequently Asked Questions

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the main source of long-term federalfunding to assist disaster survivors with the recovery process. The most basic form of assistance offered is the low interest loans for owners, renters and businesses to cover repair costs not covered by their insurance. By offering low interest loans, SBA's disaster loan program helps disaster survivors cover repair costs with reasonable repayment options.

The pay scale by level, by hour and over-time rate are displayed on the DAE Payscale  page.

You do not have to repay any money received from FEMA's Individuals and Households Program.  You do have to repay disaster loans received from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

You cannot register for Direct Housing such as Temporary Housing Unit, or Manufactured Housing Units (pre-fabricated dwelling such as Mobile Home) directly. You register for FEMA assistance and you may later be referred and possibly determined eligible as part of the registration process. You may be referred based on combination of information about available rental resources in geographic area and information about your specific needs. Not all requested sites may be appropriate for Manufactured Housing Unit placement (lack of utilities, flood zone, etc.). Temporary Housing Unit (THU) can be house, apartment, condominium, manufactured home, or other dwelling acquired by purchase or lease and made available to eligible applicants for limited period of time. If you are being considered for Direct Housing Assistance you may receive call from FEMA representative to complete pre-placement interview (PPI).  

You can access your account on DisasterAssistance.gov to see your status.  In many cases you can receive monetary assistance within 10 days if you are qualified.  Direct Deposits into your checking or savings accounts are the fastest and safest way to receive funds.  If you provided your banking information during your registration, watch your account as sometimes the funds are provided prior to you receiving notification.  If you have not received notifications regarding assistance, you can visit Disaster Recovery Center if one is open in your area or call 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA).  You may need to update your file with information or submit documents to FEMA.  Remember that if you have insurance that could assist with your damages, you must file your insurance claim and provide that information to FEMA as we cannot duplicate assistance.

Yes. You must provide the vehicle title and insurance information when completing the request for disaster assistance.

Unfortunately, no.  Once you have canceled an NFIP policy, you must reapply for new flood insurance policy.  You must submit a new application to your insurance carrier with payment in full.  It is important to know that there is generally a 30-day waiting period for coverage to become effective.  So if you have flood claim during that time, you will not have coverage for that loss. 

To find more information about Flood zones. Visit the National Flood Insurance Program page on FEMA's website OR Email Map Specialist  for answers to most flood hazard mapping questions OR Call the toll free number 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627)

There are three ways to search for forms of assistance on the Disaster Assistance  website: Search by category: Select "Category" under the Disaster Assistance tab.  Search by Federal agency: "Federal Agency" also under the Disaster Assistance tab.  Take the questionnaire located on  Disaster Assistance  homepage to receive list of forms of assistance you may be eligible for from 17 Federal agencies and then go on to register for assistance.

There are several ways to send documentation to FEMA.You may choose to Upload documents from your personal computer to your online account at: www.DiasterAssistance.gov Send documents via fax at:1-800-827-8112 Send documents via postal mail to: FEMA Individuals Households Program National Processing Service Center P.O. Box 10055 Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055 Please remember to include your name, last four digits of your social security number, disaster number and registration number with any correspondence to FEMA. Be sure to keep the originals documents for your records. If you have received request for information from FEMA, please be sure to include all information requested in order to expedite the processing of your case. When the information is received it is manually scanned into your file, this creates a work packet which start the process of your request.  The work packet is placed into queue in order it was received.  When case worker gets to your request they will review all the facts in your file and make determination.  This process can take several weeks, appeals can take up to 90 days to process.  (During normal disaster activity)