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FEMA Individual Assistance Is Now Available. Here’s How To Apply.

Florida homeowners and renters in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties who had uninsured losses from Hurricane Sally may be eligible for federal disaster assistance from FEMA.

FEMA has programs that provide financial help with temporary housing expenses, basic home repairs and other essential disaster-related needs. FEMA coordinates with the Florida Division of Emergency Management in disaster recovery.

Related story: FEMA Individual Assistance Approved for Northwest Florida

Here’s what FEMA says you need to do:

First, if you haven’t already done so, contact your insurance company and file a claim for the disaster-caused damage. You don’t have to wait to start cleaning up but be sure to take photographs or video of the damage and keep all receipts for repair work.

If you have uninsured or underinsured losses, register with FEMA. Registration is free and doesn’t take long. You can register in several ways:

• Visit DisasterAssistance.gov, enter your location and click on “Apply Online”
• Download the FEMA App for smartphones
• Call 800-621-3362 (800-462-7585 TTY). Multilingual operators are available. The toll-free numbers are open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific phone number assigned to that service.

It is helpful to have the following information available when you register:

• Address of the damaged dwelling where the damage occurred (pre-disaster address)
• Current mailing address
• Current telephone number
• Insurance information
• Total household annual income
• Routing and account number for checking or savings account (this allows FEMA to directly transfer disaster assistance funds into a bank account)
• A description of disaster-caused damage and losses

What to Expect After You Register With FEMA

If you reported that you may not be able to live safely in your home, it may be necessary for FEMA to perform an inspection of the damaged dwelling. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA field inspections are being conducted remotely.

For remote inspections, FEMA inspectors will contact applicants by phone to answer questions about the type and extent of damage sustained. Remote inspections provide an effective way of evaluating damage, comparable to traditional, in-person inspections, and this expedites the delivery of recovery assistance.

Survivors with minimal damage who can live in their homes will not automatically be scheduled for a home inspection when applying to FEMA. However, they may request an inspection if they later find significant disaster-caused damage.

Pictured: A Hurricane Sally damaged home in Escambia County. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.