Florida

How to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

Anyone who suffered damage from Hurricane Irma can apply for assistance from FEMA.

Miami-Dade and Monroe counties have been approved for assistance but people in any county can apply. Other Florida counties will soon be added to the list.

The website is disasterassistance.gov. FEMA's number is 1-800-621-FEMA.

You can be either a homeowner or a renter to qualify and you don't necessarily have to be insured. 

It will come in either the form of a grant or a loan. A grant will not cover what you need to meet an insurance deductible and it may not cover all of your damage. But you could qualify for a loan to cover additional costs.

Meanwhile, several members of South Florida congress are urging FEMA to extend individual assistance to additional counties in Florida. 

Members of Congress were concenred that FEMA excluded Palm Beach County, Martin County and St. Lucie County from the counties eligible for federal assistance. 

According to a press release, state officials said that even though the eye of the storm did not pass through those counties, residents experienced hurricane-force gusts of wind, tornadoes and severe storm surge and flooding.

"When a hurricane stretches over 400 miles across the state, there is going to be devastation whether the eye crosses the county or not," said officials in a press release, "FEMA must add these counties to the Individual Assistance list to ensure that families can start addressing their needs today. In the days and weeks ahead, Floridians will need all of the support we can get to help rebuild."

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