Disaster survivors who register for assistance with FEMA may be eligible for grants to help pay for a wide range of needs, including renting a place to live until their primary residence can be repaired, repairing or replacing a disaster damaged essential vehicle, repairing occupational specialized tools, replacing essential personal property like a student’s computer, paying for increased childcare costs and/or disaster-related medical or dental needs not covered by insurance.
Some survivors may have more significant damage and will need a larger amount of money to help with their recovery. For those situations, a low-interest disaster loan from the Small Business Administration may be the best option.
These loans are the primary source of funds for repairs to homes and businesses and/or for replacement of personal property after a disaster. Renters and homeowners may borrow up to $40,000 to repair or replace clothing, furniture, cars and appliances damaged or destroyed in this disaster. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to pay for structural repairs to their primary residence or rebuilding a house. Businesses and private, non-profits may borrow up to $2 million both for physical repairs and economic injury.
Registration with FEMA can be accomplished in one of three ways:
• Visit www.disasterassistance.gov
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are on duty.
• Use FEMA's disaster app on a smartphone. The app is available at www.fema.gov/mobile-app.
For more information about SBA loans:
• Call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. Individuals who are deaf or low hearing may call 800-877-8339.
• Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
• Visit www.sba.gov/disaster.
• Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA's secure website at https://DisasterLoan.sba.gov/ela.
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