FEMA ASSISTANCE BASED ON
INDIVIDUAL LOSS, NEEDS
NEPTUNE, N.J. –
Residents of New Jersey now eligible for
individual disaster assistance should know that
the help they may receive will be based on their
own unique circumstances and needs.
“While not everyone may
qualify, our ultimate goal is for anyone who
suffered damages from Hurricane Irene to receive
the maximum assistance available,” said William
L. Vogel, federal coordinating officer for the
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA)
disaster operations in New Jersey.
Disaster assistance to
individuals is based on a number of factors, and
FEMA specialists are trained to seek out and
coordinate the eligible assistance from a number
of sources. This might include direct financial
grants, low-interest loans, charitable
contributions from voluntary agencies, and/or
other resources that will help residents who are
recovering from the disaster.
Registering with FEMA is
the first step in the process, whether the loss
is large or small and whether or not an
individual anticipates federal assistance.
The unique needs of
everyone who registers are evaluated on a
case-by-case basis to determine the types of
assistance that are best suited to that
individual. The process, and final assistance
determination, is set by federal regulation and
is strictly confidential. Not everyone who
registers will qualify.
Assistance could include
grants to help pay for temporary housing needs,
essential home repairs and other
disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans
from the U.S. Small Business Administration also
may be available to cover residential and
business losses not fully compensated by
insurance.
“What you may receive in the way of
assistance might be entirely different from what
your neighbor receives,” said Lt. Paul Miller,
state coordinator of the New Jersey Office of
Emergency Management, “even though it appears
your damages were similar. Everyone’s
needs and everyone’s resources are different.”
Seventeen Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs)
have opened in the hardest hit areas of New
Jersey. To find the nearest DRC to you go
to
http://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm/span>..
Additional locations will be announced by the
FEMA/state joint information center as they are
opened.
There are three ways to
register – go to
www.disasterassistance.gov/a>, to
m.fema.gov or call FEMA toll-free,
800-621-3362 (FEMA).
Those with access or
functional needs and who use a TTY may call
800-462-7585 or use 711 or Video Relay Service
to call 800-621-3362. Telephone lines are open
from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET; multilingual
operators are available..
