Tips for getting FEMA assistance

(WYMT) - FEMA recently released more information about claims for people filing after the recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky.

FEMA officials said they have more than 800 people working in Kentucky at the moment and are meeting with people one-on-one to settle claims and answer questions.

Below is the list FEMA shared about assistance and claims.

• Door-to-Door Inspection Teams to Provide Home Inspections
  • Special FEMA inspection teams will make door-to-door visits to homes where inspectors have attempted to contact survivors three or more times and had difficulty doing so.
  • These special FEMA inspection teams will be deployed, starting in Perry County.
  • Teams will target areas with limited cellular coverage and other communication challenges,
  • If the survivors are not available at their homes at the time the inspectors pay a visit, the inspectors will leave a letter stating the visit time and provide a contact number.
  • All the addresses inspectors are visiting belong to survivors who could not be contacted by FEMA after the agency attempted multiple times based on the information submitted by the survivors.
  • Communication and transportation issues have necessitated that FEMA target areas with such challenges to better connect with those survivors
• Initial FEMA Payment May Be for Contractor Estimate
  • Survivors are receiving payments from FEMA in amounts between $178 and $195.
  • Survivors receiving these funds should carefully read the letter that came with the payment.
  • Most likely this money is to pay a contractor to inspect and estimate damage to an HVAC, septic system, well, retaining wall or single-family road or bridge. –
  • After receiving the contractor estimate, file an appeal.
• The appeal must include the following for identity verification purposes:
  • Applicant’s full name
  • Applicant’s FEMA Application Number and Disaster Number
  • Damaged property address and current mailing address, if different
  • Applicant’s date and place of birth
  • Applicant’s signature with one of the following:
  • Notary stamp or seal; or The statement “I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
• The appeal can be mailed or faxed using the information below:
  • Mailing Address:
  • Individuals and Households Program
  • National Processing Service Center
  • P.O. Box 10055
  • Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055
  • Fax Number: 800-827-8112
• FEMA May Call or Text from an Unknown Number
  • FEMA housing inspectors and customer service representatives may call or text survivors from an out of state area code OR a number you don’t recognize.
  • It is important that you answer your phone or call back as soon as possible to keep your recovery moving forward.
  • If you missed a call or have questions about FEMA assistance or your application call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
  • FEMA customer service may send a text from the five-digit number 36476
  • The message will read “FEMA has been trying to contact you regarding your application for disaster assistance due to the recent flooding in Kentucky.”
  • FEMA will not have you click on any links in the text message or ask for any personal information
  • If FEMA cannot contact an applicant, their application will become ineligible

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