Many Arkansans may have lost important items in the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred March 31, including documents that may be needed when applying for disaster assistance.
Missing Documents
If papers are gone – such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, tax records, insurance policies, etc.— many can be replaced by contacting sources of information, such as vital records offices, Social Security agencies, insurance offices and other organizations or agencies.
Disaster survivors need to provide proof of citizenship, proof of property ownership or rental occupancy, Social Security numbers and other personal information when registering for disaster assistance, but documentation may also be submitted after applying for assistance. Below are some sources to replace lost documents:
- Proof of address/residency: Contact your local utility company to obtain a recent bill.
- Birth certificates: Contact the Arkansas Department of Health. Go to healthy.Arkansas.gov for information or call 501-661-2336 or 800-637-9314. The office has a high volume of requests; expect delays. You may also visit this link: Order Birth Records Arkansas Department of Health.
- Copies of insurance policies: Contact your insurance agent or the insurance company.
- State income tax records and replacement driver’s licenses or vehicle titles: Visit any state revenue office (Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration). Visit dfa.arkansas.gov online for downloadable numbers of each agency. Numbers vary by county.
- Social Security cards: Call the U.S. Social Security office at 800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT. For TTY users the number is 800-325-0778. Visit Social Security Number and Card | SSA for more information on how to replace your Social Security card.
- Medicare cards: Log into (or create) your secure Medicare account to print or order an official copy of your Medicare card. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to order a replacement card to be sent in the mail. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Visit www.medicare.gov for more information.
- Federal tax records: Call the Internal Revenue Service at 800-829-1040, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, or log onto www.irs.gov.
- Military Records: Visit the National Archives website at www.archives.gov/veterans.
- Green Card replacement: Visit uscis.gov and click on “learn about green cards” on the left side of the home page. For more information visit: Replace Your Green Card | USCIS.
- Real Estate and property records (mortgage documents, deeds, etc.): Contact a real estate agent, escrow agent, your mortgage company or your Circuit Clerk’s office.
- Medical and prescription records: Medical and prescription records are tracked electronically; contact your doctor, clinic or pharmacy.
- Saving family records: The National Archives (archives.gov) has detailed technical information on how to salvage damaged records and other information of interest to disaster survivors.
Arkansas Recovery Website
- On April 3, Arkansas launched helparkansas.com, a one-stop website for tornado recovery resources.
This website includes information on federal, state, local, and charitable resources for tornado victims, as well as volunteer and charity opportunities for Arkansans seeking to help.
To apply with FEMA for Disaster Assistance
- The fastest and easiest way to apply for assistance is by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov.
- If it is not possible to apply online, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT seven days a week. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
- Download the FEMA mobile app (available in Spanish) at Google Play or the Apple App Store.
- Help is available in most languages, and information on the registration process is available in ASL at FEMA Accessible - YouTube.
Ways to apply to SBA after you register with FEMA:
- To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, survivors must first contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.disasterassistance.gov.
- Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/.
- Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
For the latest information on the Arkansas severe storms and tornadoes, follow the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (@AR_Emergencies) on Twitter and Facebook and adem.arkansas.gov. Additional information is also available at fema.gov/disaster/4698. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account twitter.com/FEMARegion6 and FEMA Region 6 Facebook page www.facebook.com/FEMARegion6.