CNN
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In the midst of two devastating hurricanes, misinformation regarding federal aid for disaster survivors is rampant.
One of the key pieces of FEMA assistance that has been mischaracterized by former President Donald Trump and others is the $750 payments given to disaster survivors immediately after hurricanes, tornadoes, and other major storms. This is incorrectly portrayed as a loan or loan. This is the only assistance provided by FEMA. In fact, this is the first time FEMA has paid disaster survivors, making them eligible for temporary shelter and other forms of assistance to provide funds to begin rebuilding after the storm passes. There is.
This is the first hurricane season that the $750 payment plan has been implemented, so it is unfamiliar to officials and people in hurricane areas.
Top federal emergency management officials, including FEMA Director Deanne Criswell, have said they are deeply concerned that misinformation circulating will discourage disaster survivors from applying at all.
“We need people to register for assistance,” Criswell told reporters Tuesday. “I’m worried that they won’t apply for assistance, which means we won’t be able to get them the supplies they need.”
Here’s what you need to know about FEMA’s assistance programs.
This $750 is what’s called a “severe need.” This is an up-front, direct payment to survivors, with the goal of getting them money to buy things they need after their homes are destroyed. The $750 payment is thanks to a relatively new federal program that went into effect in March of this year.
It can be delivered via direct bank deposit or preloaded debit card, and can be used to purchase clothing, baby formula, food, shelter, and anything else you might need after a disaster. Contrary to rumors, this money is not a loan. It is for the preservation and use of disaster survivors.
Importantly, these funds represent a small portion of the assistance individuals will receive after the storm, not the full amount.
“The $750 is just the beginning of the funding you will receive from FEMA,” agency spokeswoman Jaclyn Rosenberg told CNN. “This is just the first part of the funding you’re going to get from FEMA. It means you’re in our system.”
According to FEMA, you can receive assistance if you or someone in your household is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen, or eligible non-citizen.
FEMA must verify your identity before receiving funds, and you must live in your home most of the year. Additionally, in order to receive assistance, FEMA requires that your home be within a declared disaster area and that your home has been damaged by a disaster (FEMA will review the documentation you send). We confirm this based on the following).
Disaster survivors will receive a range of additional funds to help with everything from temporary housing costs, the cost of receiving medical care, funeral costs for loved ones, and the cost of damaged personal property such as computers and appliances. I am eligible.
The agency also provides funds to help people repair or replace damaged homes.
The payments went into effect earlier this year as part of a larger effort to streamline FEMA assistance. The overhaul of FEMA’s system comes after years of criticism that disaster survivors must jump through complex hurdles to access the help they need in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
More than 1 million households have already been approved for critical needs assistance totaling more than $780.7 million, according to FEMA statistics.
Speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Trump suggested the Biden administration would provide a one-time payment of $750 to people whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Helen.
“We’re giving $750 to people whose homes were washed away,” Trump said. “Think about it: We’re giving hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign countries, and we’re giving North Carolina $750.”
This is not true. The $750 is only the first part of the assistance that individuals will receive after the storm, but not the full amount. Rothenberg also emphasized that the $750 from FEMA is not a loan, but is meant to be kept and used by disaster survivors.
Disaster survivors can apply for assistance at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/.
