Don’t miss this opportunity to get the help you need to recover from severe storms and flooding! FEMA may provide direct and financial disaster assistance to U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified non-citizens.
The FEMA application deadline is Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 for residents of Cook County with damage or losses from the June 29 – July 2 severe storms and flooding. Be sure to apply by that date to ensure that your household is eligible to participate in the FEMA recovery process. After that date, FEMA will continue to work with applicants who have already requested assistance. FEMA is here in Illinois for the long haul.
FEMA assistance may include grants for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make your home safe, accessible, and secure. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, if you don’t have homeowners’ insurance or are underinsured, you may receive assistance after your insurance claims have been settled.
Even if you reported your damage to another agency or organization, you must still apply with FEMA if you want to access federal disaster grants and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) long-term, low-interest disaster loans.
A household may still apply for certain forms of federal assistance, even if an applicant does not meet the citizenship or immigration status at the time of application, if:
· The parent or legal guardian of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen applies for assistance on behalf of the minor child, so long as they live in the same household.
· The parent or legal guardian must apply as the co-applicant, and the minor child must be under age 18 at the time the disaster occurred.
All individuals, regardless of citizenship and immigration status, affected by a major disaster may be eligible for crisis counseling assistance, disaster legal services, disaster case management, disaster supplemental nutrition assistance program and other non-monetary, in-kind emergency disaster-relief programs. These include medical care, shelter, food and water.
To register for assistance:
· Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
· Use the FEMA mobile app.
· Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
· Visit a disaster recovery center. The centers serve as one-stop shops for survivors who need one-on-one help. Survivors can visit any center for assistance. To find center locations and current hours, visit FEMA.gov/DRC.
You should have the following information available to register:
· Address of the damaged primary dwelling where damage occurred;
· Current mailing address, telephone number and Social Security number;
· Your insurance information;
· Total household annual income;
· Routing and account numbers for checking or savings accounts for direct deposit; and
· A description of disaster damage and losses
For more information about Cook County’s recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4728. The deadline to apply for disaster assistance is October 16, 2023.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Reasonable accommodations, including translation and American Sign Language interpreters via Video Relay Service will be available to ensure effective communication with applicants with limited English proficiency, disabilities and access and functional needs. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (including 711 or Video Relay).
