It’s been one month since Hurricane Matthew hit Hampton Roads, leaving residents with significant flood damage. Because of the major disaster declaration signed by President Obama on November 2, individuals can apply for federal grant aid by registering with FEMA. The deadline for FEMA registration is January 2, 2017.
Residents of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News and Virginia Beach can apply for federal aid without waiting for Disaster Relief Assistance teams to canvass their neighborhoods. Individuals in these cities can register with FEMA at disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA Mobile App, or from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. by calling 800-621-3362 (FEMA).
Disaster Relief Assistance teams will survey other affected areas of Hampton Roads neighborhoods and help with FEMA registration.
According to fema.gov, registration takes approximately 20-30 minutes, and applicants need the following to register:
- Social security number
- Address of damaged home or apartment
- Description of the damage
- Insurance coverage information
- Phone number
- Mailing address
- Bank account and routing number
According to FEMA, “Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs”. Federal grants don’t have to be repaid.
Applicants may also be referred to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to check their eligibility for a low-interest disaster SBA loan, but they won’t be required to take out a loan if they qualify. If an applicant doesn’t qualify for an SBA loan, they might be eligible for more FEMA aid.
Federal aid may still be granted even if the storm damages have already been repaired (it’s helpful to have photos of storm damage and receipts for repair costs).
For more information, visit FEMA’s Hurricane Matthew disaster relief page at fema.gov.