What you should know about applying for disaster assistance and unemployment benefits after a hurricane
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What you should know about applying for disaster assistance and unemployment benefits after a hurricane
More than 230 people across the Southeast have died since Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September. Survivors are dealing with power outages, damaged homes, and no source of income.
Just two weeks after Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, leaving at least two dozen people dead.
Homeowners and renters across dozens of Florida counties and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida can now apply for FEMA disaster assistance, and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell recently told reporters that the agency has enough money to respond to both Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
But misinformation has been circulating over the amount of disaster assistance you can receive from FEMA and what form the money will take. Contrary to some reports, $750 is not the only amount you can receive from the agency, nor do FEMA grants have to be paid back in most cases, according to FEMA’s website. Exceptions would be cases where you receive duplicate benefits from FEMA and your insurance company or another source.
“FEMA does really want you to get the benefits that are available to you,” said Jessica Vermilyea, an independent disaster consultant.
You shouldn’t let any negative comments you read online about the process deter you from applying for assistance, Vermilyea said.
FEMA has implemented reforms to its assistance policies over the past year, which means you may receive benefits that were unavailable in prior disasters.
Before a hurricane, people should keep track of insurance-related documents, take inventory of the items they own, and photograph their belongings and home or apartment, Vermilyea said. That’ll make the process of filing an insurance claim or applying for government assistance easier.
After a disaster, file a claim if you have insurance. Whether or not you have insurance, you can also file for FEMA assistance if and when it becomes available in your area, Vermilyea said.
If you find yourself struggling in the aftermath of a disaster, here are some of the resources that are available to you.
FEMA assistance
You can find out if you reside in a county where you’re eligible for what’s called “individual assistance” at DisasterAssistance.gov.
You can apply for FEMA assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA app, by phone at 1-800-621-3362 or in person at a Disaster Recovery Center if there’s one near you.
FEMA offers assistance under a category known as “other needs assistance,” which helps both renters and homeowners with a wide variety of expenses. The maximum amount of assistance you can receive for this category is $42,500 for the 2024 fiscal year.
“It can cover a plethora of things – I mean things you wouldn’t even know that FEMA covers,” Vermilyea said.
Funding from this category can help you pay for medical and dental bills, personal property like furniture and refrigerators, child care and transportation-related expenses, among other needs.
Under this category, you can receive “serious needs assistance,” a direct, upfront payment that will help you with emergency supplies like food, water, first aid and infant formula.
The maximum amount you can receive is adjusted every fiscal year. For disasters declared on or after Oct. 1, the max increased from $750 to $770. It’s available during the first 30 days after a disaster is declared.
You do not have to buy a specific item, nor will you have to repay it, Vermilyea said.
“They’re not coming back to say, ‘How did you spend that?’” she said. You can also receive “displacement assistance” as part of the other needs category. You get funds based on 14 days of hotel costs. Those hotel costs are determined by rates set by the state, territory or Tribal Nation.
FEMA also offers financial housing assistance to help you pay for home repairs or rebuilding, This amount is also capped at $42,500 for the 2024 fiscal year.
“That’s where you have to show that your home was damaged,” Vermilyea said. “There may be a FEMA inspector who comes out to look at your home to document the damages that were done.”
You won’t receive the same amount your insurance would pay you. FEMA’s goal is not to replace everything you had before – it’s to make your home “a livable, safe, sanitary place to live,” Vermilyea said.
FEMA also offers other forms of housing assistance that do not count toward your maximum. For example, if you are an eligible survivor with a disability and receive money to install grab bars, an exterior ramp or a paved pathway, the money for those will not count toward your maximum. You may also be eligible for lodging expense reimbursements or rental assistance, which don’t count toward your maximum either.
While you cannot receive duplicate benefits from FEMA and your insurer, FEMA may be able to supplement your coverage.
And if you ever feel like you didn’t receive a sufficient amount of money, you can always appeal, Vermilyea said. The response you receive from FEMA should include instructions on how to do so.
“There may have been something that was overlooked. It could have been something the inspector didn’t see when they were there. It could be something that you notice after that inspection. It could be additional information that becomes available afterwards,” Vermilyea said.
Vermilyea advises people not to reapply multiple times or to have multiple people from the same household apply to see who gets the fastest response. Your applications might raise flags in FEMA’s system, slowing down the ability to receive assistance.
However, if you’ve been impacted by two disasters, then you should apply for both disasters – but only one time each, Vermilyea added.
FEMA provides a list of all the resources it offers to individuals and households here, along with the eligibility requirements. DisasterAssistance.gov also has a list of resources you may be eligible for at other government agencies, which you can search for by checking off the “disaster relief” box on the left side.
Unemployment benefits
FEMA also funds the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployed people with weekly benefits. You do not have to repay these benefits either, unless you receive any benefits that were overpaid.
These benefits become available under a presidentially declared major disaster and are only paid during the designated Disaster Assistance Period. This period starts with the week after the disaster began, and ends the 26th week after the president declared the disaster.
Your local or county government should announce if and when these benefits are available in your area. If the county you work in was impacted by a natural disaster, you may still be eligible for assistance even if you live in a different county, Vermilyea said.
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia have announced the counties where residents can receive unemployment benefits if they were affected by Hurricane Helene. If you live in Florida and were impacted by Hurricane Milton, disaster-related unemployment benefits are also available.
These benefits are based on your gross wages and capped at a certain amount, depending on the state you live in. For example, the maximum weekly benefit is $350 in North Carolina and $275 in Florida.
Small business loans
If you need low-interest loans for your business or home repairs, you can apply for them through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA announced on Tuesday that it is not making new disaster loans until Congress can appropriate more money, since the agency has exhausted funding for its disaster loan program. Congress will not reconvene until Nov. 12.
However, the SBA still encourages people to apply for loans, and says it’s aiming to get people loans as soon as funds are appropriated.
The SBA offers a variety of disaster-related loans, including ones that will cover physical damage. For physical damage loans, the first payment is deferred for 12 months; interest will not accrue for the first 12 months; and the interest rate will not exceed 4% if you can’t obtain a loan elsewhere.
Unlike emergency funds, you do have to pay them back. You can find out if you’re eligible for one here.
While some people think these loans are just for businesses, they’re also available to homeowners, said Maria Watson, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies.
While some may be afraid of applying for one, since it’s a loan, you can always turn down the offer once you’re approved if you don’t need it anymore, Watson explained.
IRS resources
The Internal Revenue Service is offering extensions to those who live in areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
All taxpayers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and some taxpayers in Tennessee and Virginia, have until May 1, 2025 to file their 2024 tax returns and any tax due, along with their 2023 returns if they were given a valid extension for those. However, 2023 tax year payments are not eligible for this extension.
Taxpayers will also be able to exclude government disaster relief payment from their gross income if it’s for “necessary personal, family, living or funeral expenses, as well as for the repair or rehabilitation of their home, or for the repair or replacement of its contents.”
Individuals and businesses will also be able to claim uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses on their tax returns if they live in a federally declared disaster area.
And you might also be able to take out a special tax distribution from your retirement plan without facing a penalty.
To see a full list of benefits, you can visit the IRS’ website here.
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