Financial Assistance in the Recovery from Hurricane Helene
Part of a series of posts on resources, organizations, and ways to support communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene
At the top of all these posts, I will share this number for a Disaster Distress Helpline. It is 24/7, multilingual, and toll-free. If you are struggling with emotional distress from Hurricane Helene, Milton or other natural disaster, please call. (In a separate post, we’ll share more on counseling and mental health resources).
Disaster Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990.
Español: Llama o envía un mensaje de texto 1-800-985-5990 presiona “2.”
For Deaf and Hard of Hearing ASL Callers: Please text or call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 using your preferred Relay provider.
And another quick, more urgent note before diving into the financial assistance topic:
In Western NC: Water from the North Fork Reservoir - responsible for about 80% of Asheville’s water - has been reconnected via a bypass line (an emergency pipe), BUT…it is not drinkable, and you should not let it run through your household pipes yet, because there is a ton (actually many tons!) of sediment in it.
The water crews are flushing the main pipes this week (and repairing leaks) and it will be the end of the week before some of that is complete for East Asheville. For more info, go to AVLtoday summarizing yesterday’s briefing - there are really great instructions for shutting off your hot water heater and implementing other measures so that the sediment doesn’t damage your residential pipes, faucets, appliances etc. If you can’t access that site, leave a comment, and I will repost the instructions here.
And an additional note: Water in the Town of Black Mountain continues to be for flushing only. Even if boiled, this water is not for human or pet consumption.
Ok, onto financial assistance:
This post is aimed mostly at individuals/households (not businesses or organizations - I’ll write about that separately) DIRECTLY affected by the disaster, or for friends and family who can relay these messages to those victims of Helene (or Milton and other natural disasters). Future posts will be a mix of ways to provide as well as access a whole variety of help (not just financial, but this is where we’re starting).
There has been much consternation about how much financial assistance FEMA provides people in disasters. This post addresses that and also share additional ways to access funding in the short- and long-term. It isn’t just FEMA that can help with financial resources.
Firstly, here is FEMA’s website to apply for individual/household assistance:
https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual
There is a big button on the site to start your application, and there are great tips for how to begin your recovery process (such as taking pictures of your damage as soon as you can).
Individual assistance can include:
Temporary housing (e.g. rent or hotel costs)
Costs to repair or replace your home and access to your home
A temporary housing unit
New measures to rebuild stronger or more durable homes
And other expenses related to under-insured or non-insured property and other needs.
FEMA also provides legal assistance, counseling assistance, and unemployment assistance. You can find it all fairly easily from the main link above. If you’re having trouble finding any info, please leave me a comment.
The $750 that some people are claiming is ‘all FEMA is giving them’ is called Serious Needs Assistance and it’s simply a rapid, one-time payment to help with the absolute emergency needs directly after the disaster. It is not all there is available and it is not a loan. There is much more available for most other people. Go to the Individual Assistance website for the super clear link to apply for both the Serious Needs Assistance and much more.
Other sources of funding:
SBA:
Even if you don’t own a business, the Small Business Administration offers loans to homeowners and renters (as well as businesses and nonprofits) for a variety of recovery needs, including physical loss of property (home and contents) that isn’t fully insured.
For example,
Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Renters and homeowners may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property — such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances — damaged or destroyed in a disaster.
The loans are never more than 4% interest and are 30 year fixed rates.
Red Cross:
There are some programs the Red Cross offers that include financial assistance, though usually only for specific populations (e.g. military, or restaurant workers.) Of course, the Red Cross offers MUCH more practical help in the wake of a disaster too, so just call them 24/7 to describe your circumstances and see what help they can offer: 1-800-RED-CROSS (their website is a bit more confusing for getting direct help, which is why I’m suggesting the phone in this case).
GoFundMe (and other crowd funding):
One option for getting financial assistance is to ask your friends or family (or you can do it yourself if you have web access) to set up a GoFundMe campaign to help. A group of us have already done this for some friends whose homes washed completely away, and this will be a big help to them as they get re-established. GoFundMe also has some grants available for disaster relief.
People really WANT to help, and this gives them a way to provide donations to specific people.
Churches and local nonprofits
Most churches and nonprofits are there to provide resources other than financial assistance (e.g. hot meals, clothing, equipment, furniture/mattresses, toys, even housing), but many of these resources can help offset the need for as much financial assistance, so don’t be afraid to reach out. We’ll have a list of Western NC and East TN nonprofits in a different post, but there are many.
LIHEAP:
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program may help you pay utility bills after a disaster.
CFPB:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can help get your started on a process if you’re struggling to pay your credit cards after a disaster.
Student Aid:
If you need to transfer to a different school or if you’re having trouble paying your student loan after a disaster, Federal Student Aid has help for that too.
Operation Hope
AND finally, though they don’t provide direct funding, the people at Operation Hope are there to help you find and access further financial resources, and help you with your applications to FEMA and other direct sources of financial help. 1-888-388-HOPE. If you’re confused and overwhelmed (and this is more common than not after a disaster of course!), start here.
I hope this is helpful, and please let me know if you have other resources for direct financial assistance. More posts in the coming days for other ways to provide and access help!
