Katrina Recovery Times

FEMA
TENNESSEE
November 8, 2005
Vol. 1
Published by the
U.S. Department of
Homeland Security/FEMA
and the Tennessee
Emergency Management
Agency

For disaster-related
information visit
www.fema.gov

For disaster-related
information visit
www.fema.gov

Register for Assistance

BY PHONE
People who suffered losses due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita should register for assistance with the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by calling toll-free 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
People who are speech or hearing-impaired should call (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Phone lines are open
24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.
It will take approximately 20 minutes to complete the application, if you have the following information
on hand:
• Social Security number
• Telephone number where you can be reached
• Address of damaged property
• Brief description of disaster-related losses
• Insurance information
• Bank account number and routing number for
direct deposit of any assistance check.
If you don’t have all the above information, you can still
register. FEMA staff members are trained to work around
missing information.
ONLINE
You can register online at www.fema.gov. The application
process should take about 20 minutes. The time to fill out
the application is limited to 30 minutes, so have all your
information (the same things needed for phone registration)
on hand before you log on. If you don’t have all the
information, you can still start the process with what you
have.

FEMA Needs to Know
Where You Are
Once you have applied for federal
assistance, it is important in the months
ahead that you notify the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
when you change your mailing address.
Call the Helpline at 1-800- 621-3362.
Even more important is to make certain
that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has
your current mailing address. If you are
housed in a shelter, use the shelter’s
address as your current mailing address
and phone number. You can complete a
change of address card by calling the post
office at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-
8777) or online at www.usps.com. The
post office will make sure your mail is
forwarded to you.

Unemployment Assistance

FEMA and the disaster-stricken states offer
disaster unemployment assistance to help
workers who lost their jobs or income due to
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Weekly benefit
payments are provided to those out of work
due to the disaster, including self-employed
persons, farm and ranch workers and owners,
and others not covered under regular
unemployment programs.
Displaced residents from Mississippi,
Louisiana, Alabama and Texas are eligible to
apply in the states where they are now living.
Applicants will need to provide their social
security number. Self-employed applicants
should be prepared to provide information
about earnings from their previous federal
tax year.

Evacuees in Tennessee can apply by reporting
to a Department of Labor and Workforce
Development Career Center or by calling the
Unemployment Insurance Claims Center in
Nashville at 1-615-253-7540 or 1-877-813-
0950, ext. 7540. Applicants can also file
online at www.tennesee.gov/labor-wfd.

Applicants can file by telephone in their
home states. The telephone numbers are:
Alabama 1-866-234-5382 and
(TTY) 1-800-499-2035
Mississippi 1-888-844-3577
Louisiana 1-800-430-8076 or
1-800-818-7811
Texas 1-800-939-6631 and
(TTY) 1-800-735-2989
Louisianans can file online at
www. laworks.net.
Mississippians can go online at
mdes.ms.gov/wps/portal/#null to print an
application, then mail it to the Mississippi
Department of Employment Security, P.O.
Box 23068, Jackson, MS 39225.
Texans can file online at
www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/uiclaim.html.

Disaster recovery assistance is available
without regard to race, color, sex, religion,
national origin, age, disability or economic
status. If you or someone you know has been
discriminated against, contact the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) at 1-800-621-FEMA
(3362) or TTY: 1-800-462-7585 or contact
the state equal rights office.

Crisis Counseling

FEMA and the state of Tennessee are
offering mental health counseling to help
Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Tennessee
cope with stress and other emotional
issues resulting from their experience.
Evacuees may call toll-free, 1-800-
809-9957, any time, seven days a
week. This number puts them in touch
with the crisis services office nearest
their location in Tennessee. Callers
should identify themselves as Katrina
evacuees and explain what they need.
Crisis response staff can assist in an
emergency situation, distribute local
referral information or arrange contact
by an outreach counselor.
Funded by FEMA, the
“Tenn-K Response Project” is managed
by the Tennessee Department of
Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, which contracts with
mental health service providers to
reach out to evacuees and respond to
referrals from community liaisons,
police, firefighters, churches, individuals,
friends, or family. The
counselors will provide services in
shelters, disaster assistance centers,
schools, and any other locations where
evacuees are housed.

Emergency aid for evacuees in Tennessee

Food Stamp Benefits for Adults and
Families (Must meet basic income and
resource limits)
• Expedited screening process for
applicants
• Emergency benefit card with $100 in
food stamp benefits
• Permanent benefit card available in
three to four business days
• Eligible for up to four months of food
stamp benefits
• Benefits vary depending on household
size

Cash Assistance for Families with
Children
• Applicants must be seeking refuge in Tennessee
and caring for a child under 18
• One-time cash payments of $750 to
$1,500, based on size of family
• Payments are intended to help families
move out of shelters to permanent residences,
gain employment or return home
• Participants are restricted from
applying for Tennessee’s Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program
for three months

Displaced Students
Governor Bredesen has announced
plans to open Tennessee’s public
colleges and universities to students
from Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Alabama schools that have closed due
to storm damage, to allow them to
enroll in Tennessee.
• For K-12 call the Tennessee Department
of Education, 1-615-532-6314
or visit their website,
www.tennessee.gov/education.
• For higher education inquiries, call
1-800-669-2678, or visit
www.state.tn.us/thec/hurricane_relief/
Hur_Student.htm.

For more information, go to the nearest Department of Health Services office.

Dealing with Insured Losses

National Flood
Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) is modifying the way it settles
claims to respond faster to its policyholders
in areas stricken by Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. The program is using data on
water depths, aerial imagery, and information
from underwriting files to determine
where property damages from flooding
exceeded NFIP coverage. In those cases, it
will be possible to pay the policy limits
without a site visit by an adjuster. The
program has waived the requirement that
policyholders submit proof of loss, and
will rely on a report by the claims adjuster
if the policyholder agrees.
The agency also is urging insurance
companies to make advance payments of
around $3,000 to policyholders who carry
contents coverage. Adjusters have been
instructed to help policyholders develop a
simplified list of contents and appliances
damaged by flooding.
For information about NFIP, contact your
insurance company or agent, or call NFIP
at 1-888-225-5356 or TTY: 1-800-427-
5593.
Policyholders who have lost important
insurance documents can contact the NFIP
hotline at 1-800-427-4661 to retrieve
policy information.
Get more information about flood insurance
assistance at www.fema.gov/press/
2005/katrinainsurance.shtm.

Insured?
Apply for Assistance Anyway
If you’re insured, should you apply for
assistance? If you suffered damage
from Hurricane Katrina and you are a
resident or business owner in one of the
disaster-designated counties or parishes,
you may be eligible for federal disaster
assistance even if you are insured. The
law does not allow disaster aid to
duplicate insurance benefits. However,
if your insurance does not cover all
your costs or damage, FEMA may be
able to help. Register for aid by calling
1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or register
online at www.fema.gov
If you are initially denied FEMA
assistance because you are insured, you
can appeal. After you receive an insurance
settlement, call FEMA again. You
may receive a grant for losses not
covered by insurance.
Find a House Online
Two Internet websites have been set up
to help displaced hurricane victims find
temporary housing that meets their
needs, wherever they may be today.
Disaster Housing Online,
www.dhronline.org was set up after last
year’s Florida hurricanes and now
includes many more states that are
hosting evacuees from Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
Another website,
www.msdisasterhousing.org, lists
properties throughout the nation.
The listings are updated continually.
People looking for housing can search
by location, price and housing
description. Property owners can list
their rental properties on the sites at no
cost.

FEMA and the
SBA Process
The U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) may send you a
loan packet after you register for
disaster assistance with FEMA at
1-800-621-3362 or online at
www.fema.gov.
It is important to complete the
forms in this packet and return
them to the SBA as soon as
possible even if you don’t want a
loan. If you do not fill out and
return the SBA application, you
may not be eligible for other types
of assistance.
For help in filling out the SBA
distaster loan application forms or
to ask questions, call SBA’s Customer
Service Center at 1-800-659-
2955.
SBA low-interest loans are available
to renters, homeowners,
business owners and nonprofit
organizations that suffered a
disaster loss. Interest rates may be
as low as 2.687 percent for renters
and homeowners and 4 percent for
business owners and nonprofit
organizations.

Missing Children
For missing or lost children, call 1-800
THE LOST (843-5678), log onto
www.missingkids.com, or call the
American Red Cross at 1-877-LOVED
1S (568-3317).
If you have found your child, please
call to have his or her name removed
from the missing list so that resources
can be redirected to find those still lost.

Home Inspections When You’re Not Home
Evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who are living in Georgia, Tennessee, North
Carolina, South Carolina or Kentucky and cannot yet return home can still have the damage
reviewed by a FEMA inspector so the assistance process can move ahead.
Residents who have applied for Katrina disaster aid will be contacted by inspectors to set up a
date and time. If they cannot meet an inspector at their damaged homes, applicants can name
an “authorized agent,” such as a trusted neighbor or relative, who can be present during the
inspection. The FEMA inspector will fax a release form to be signed and returned by fax
before the inspection is made.
If the applicant has no one in the area to serve as an authorized agent, the inspector can offer a
FEMA employee to represent the applicant’s interests. The inspector will fax a release form to
the applicant to be signed and faxed back to the inspector.
Applicants must provide proof that they were occupying the residence as a renter or owner.
Occupancy can be verified, for example, with a copy of a driver’s license, other photo
identification with address, a utility bill, or a credit card statement showing the physical
address of the residence. Homeowners who apply for aid will need to show ownership by
providing a property tax receipt, mortgage payment stub, or the cover sheet of an insurance
policy. If the applicant cannot be present at the inspection, this information should faxed to the
FEMA-contracted inspector.
If the dwelling is not locked, the inspector can enter to perform a complete inspection. If the
home is locked or unsafe to enter, the inspector will do an exterior inspection. Personal
property will be visually verified through windows where possible. In many cases, this type of
inspection provides adequate verification of damaged property.
Accurate and current contact information is important. If you need to change the phone
number or mailing address you gave FEMA when you applied, call the FEMA helpline,
1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or make the change online at www.fema.gov. Notify the U.S.
Postal Service of any change of address.

Lodging in Hotels, Motels
The short-term lodging program for
hurricane evacuees has been transferred
from the American Red Cross to
FEMA, but there will be little or no
change for evacuees living in hotels
and other short-term housing.
FEMA and its partner agencies will
continue working to find long-term
housing for evacuees wherever they are
throughout the nation.
Some evacuees may move from shortterm
housing back to their home areas.
Those who want information about longterm
housing may call 1-800-621-3362 or
(TTY) 1-800-462-7585 to speak with a
FEMA operator. After receiving a referral
number, they should call the Red Cross at
1-866-GET-INFO (438-4636) to arrange
housing.

Online Job Bank
Offers Help
The U.S. Department of Labor has
created a national online job bank to
help workers unemployed because of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with
nearly two million jobs listed
nationwide. The bank can be accessed
at www.ajb.org and is updated daily.
Workers can create accounts, post
resumes and write cover letters.

Important Katrina Recovery Contacts

FEMA
To Register
1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
(TTY) 1-800-462-7585
www.fema.gov
American Red Cross
Response Center
1-866-GET-INFO (438-4636)
American Red Cross
Financial Assistance
1-800-975-7585

American Red Cross Find
Loved Ones
1-877-LOVED 1S (568-3317)
www.katrinasafe.org
www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina
Find Missing Children
www.missingkids.com
Katrina Missing Persons
Hotline
1-888-544-5475
Salvation Army
1-888-363-2769

Social Security
1-800-772-1213
(TTY) 1-800-325-0778
U.S. Small Business
Administration
Loan information
1-800-659-2955
U.S. Postal Service
Change of address
1-800-275-8777
Project Recovery
Mental Health Assistance
1-866-856-3227