LAKE MARY, Fla. — Do not wait to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline is two weeks away.
If your primary residence is in Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Putnam, St. Johns or Volusia counties and you had property damage caused by Hurricane Nicole, submit your FEMA disaster assistance application by Monday, Feb. 13, 2023.
Once you apply for FEMA disaster assistance, you may be referred to the SBA. The SBA offers low-interest disaster loans for businesses, homeowners and renters. There’s no obligation to accept a loan, but you may miss out on the largest source of federal disaster recovery funds if you don’t apply.
You can create and submit your FEMA application any number of ways:
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The Helpline is available every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Help is available in most languages.
- Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov and click on the blue “Apply Online” icon.
- Download the free FEMA mobile app for smartphones.
- Visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). Several DRCs are operating throughout the counties damaged by Nicole. To find one close to you, go online to: DRC Locator or floridadisaster.org, or text “DRC” along with your ZIP code to 43362.
If eligible, FEMA disaster assistance may include financial assistance, such as rental assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs, for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your primary home; funds to homeowners to help repair or replace disaster caused damage or loss to your primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges; and funds for disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicle, funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, child care and other pre-approved miscellaneous items.
Keeping your contact information current helps FEMA process your application. The agency may need to call to schedule a home inspection or get additional information from you to move your application forward.
For many, insurance may cover damage and loss. That is not the same as FEMA assistance. Our funding is intended to cover basic needs for those who don’t have insurance or lack adequate insurance to cover basic necessities after suffering damage and loss from a disaster like Hurricane Nicole.
For the latest information on Florida's recovery from Hurricane Ian and Nicole, visit floridadisaster.org/info and fema.gov. Follow FEMA Region 4 (@femaregion4) / Twitter and at facebook.com/fema.