FEMA may authorize Critical Needs Assistance (CNA) to individuals and households who, as a 
result of the disaster, are displaced from their primary dwelling for at least 7 days.  CNA is a 
fixed amount of $500 in accelerated disaster assistance provided to eligible individuals and 
households that may be used for life-savings and/or life sustaining items such as, but not 
limited to, water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene times, 
and fuel for transportation.  CNA is not intended to replace congregate shelters, nor should it 
be used as an evacuation strategy.

CNA is funded under the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) provision of the Individuals and 
Households Program (IHP) and is subject to state cost-share.  It is a one time payment per 
household and is not income dependent.  The State must request that FEMA authorize CNA in 
a disaster for specific geographic areas expected to be inaccessible for an extended period of 
time (i.e. 7 days or longer).  The eligibility period for CNA corresponds to the standard 
registration period for IHP, which is 60 days from the date of the Presidential disaster 
declaration.

 Individuals and Households may be eligible for CNA if :

*	Applicants register with FEMA 
*	they pass identity verification
*	at registration, they assert that they have critical needs and request financial 
assistance for those needs and expenses
*	their pre-disaster primary residence is located in a geographic area that is designated 
for CNA and occupancy is verified; and 
*	as a result of the disaster, they are displaced from their pre-disaster residence and 
they are currently not living in their primary residence.

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“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, 
sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”

           May 2011


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