FEMA: Few Days Left to Apply for Ida Disaster Assistance

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left for homeowners and renters to apply for disaster assistance. Those who sustained uninsured or underinsured damage to their property from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida living in Bedford, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and York counties are encouraged to apply.

The deadline to apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is Jan. 10.

There are several ways to register:

• Call the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362. Help is available in most languages. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call (800) 462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish).

• Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish), also available at Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Assistance from FEMA may include funds for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home, such as rental assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs; funds to support the repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges; and funds for disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, child care and other miscellaneous items.

Applicants for disaster assistance should have the following information prior to registration: Social Security number; address of the damaged primary residence; insurance coverage information; current telephone number and mailing address; and bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.

Survivors should update their contact information as soon as possible because FEMA may need to reach them to perform a home inspection or get additional information. FEMA encourages survivors to request direct deposits of disaster assistance to their financial institution. Survivors should let FEMA know as soon as possible of any changes to their mailing or banking information.

Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.