Those in need can start seeking federal aid immediately.
View full sizeThis is an aerial view of homes damaged by the June 1 tornado taken the day after the twister hit.Federal resources are available for anyone in Hampden and Worcester counties whose home was damaged in the June 1 tornado. Receiving aid can be as simple as picking up the phone.
But there are steps to take and information you should have ready before reaching out to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help.
FEMA offers several types of aid through its Individuals and Households Program: temporary housing, repair, replacement, permanent/semi-permanent housing construction and “other needs” such as moving, storage, funeral and medical costs, according to its handbook for applicants.
Before applying, you must file a claim with your insurance company if the property is covered. FEMA does not compensate for losses covered by insurance. If your claim is delayed by 30 days or more, FEMA may give you an advance that needs to be repaid.
Also, if your claim isn’t enough to cover all your needs or you’ve maxed out your policy’s Additional Living Expenses, FEMA may chip in. You will need to write them a letter and include documents from the insurance company. The address is Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 500 C Street SW, Washington, D.C., 20472.
If you can’t find temporary housing, call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing/speech-impaired.
When you’re ready to apply, be ready to provide: your Social Security number, current and pre-disaster address, telephone number, insurance information, total household annual income, routing and account number from your bank if you want to have funds transferred into your account and a description of your losses.
You can call FEMA at the numbers above to register. You can also register online at www.fema.gov/assistance. FEMA will give you an application number. You need to save it.
Within the next 10 days, an inspector will schedule a free appointment to evaluate your losses in person. You or someone who lived in the house and is 18 or older must be present at the appointment. The applicant has to provide identification and proof of homeownership and occupancy.
The inspector then files a report, but does not determine if you are eligible. FEMA will let you know within about 10 days of the visit. If you are, they will send you a check with a description of how to use the money. If not, they will tell you why and let you know your rights to appeal the decision.
To receive IHP aid, you or someone who lives with you must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien, your home is in the declared disaster area and you live there most of the year, you can’t live in your home or it needs repair.
You may not be eligible if you have “adequate rent-free housing” available to you, the damaged home is covered by insurance but you have refused their payment, your only losses are business-related (such as to a farm), your expenses came from leaving your home but you were able to return after the disaster, or the home is a secondary or vacation residence.
Home repair money will only cover enough to make it safe and sanitary for you to live there. IHP does not provide enough to restore your home to its pre-disaster condition.
Among the repairs it covers are: structural, windows, doors, chimneys, septic or sewage systems, well or water systems, utilities, HVAC systems and access roads. It will also go for “blocking, leveling, and anchoring of a mobile home and reconnecting or resetting its sewer, water, electrical and fuel lines, and tanks.”
Before rebuilding, check with your local building authority to see what, if any, permits you need to have or procedures you have to follow.
“Other needs” are: moving, storage, medical, dental, funeral and burial costs, clothing, household items such as furniture and appliances, specialized tools you need for your job, necessary educational materials, heating fuel, disaster clean-up items such as vacuum cleaners, vehicles, or anything else FEMA deems a result of the disaster and counts as a necessity.
There are a few important things to know about any money you receive.
It’s tax-free and does not have to be repaid. If you use it the wrong way, you might not be allowed to get more and may have to give it back. You must keep all receipts for three years.
It’s “exempt from garnishment, seizure, encumbrance, levy, execution, pledge, attachment, release, or waiver” and “is not counted as income or a resource in determining eligibility for welfare, income assistance, or income-tested benefit programs funded by the Federal government.” It may not be given to another person.
Federal law prohibits discrimination in giving out aid.
The handbook can be found at http://www.fema.gov/pdf/assistance/process/help_after_disaster_english.pdf.
The declaration of a federal disaster will result in the opening of nine disaster recovery centers in the worst hit communities, beginning this weekend, to provide aid and information to victims.
The first disaster centers are expected to open Saturday in Springfield and West Springfield, and additional centers will open on Sunday, said Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
The specific locations will be publicized once they are ready to open, officials said.
In addition, there are two state assistance centers still open in Hampden County at the state Department of Transitional Assistance, 95 Liberty St., Springfield, and the Department of Development Service Central, at 171 State Ave., Palmer.
There is no set cap on the amount of disaster aid and low interest loans that will forthcoming to the hardest hit communities, and to the damaged and destroyed homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Those in need can start seeking federal aid immediately.
Staff writer Peter Goonan contributed to this report.