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Don’t Wait to Return Home to Apply for FEMA Assistance

Release Date:
May 31, 2022

Apply Now

If you are a resident of New Mexico affected by the ongoing wildfires, you do not need to wait to return home or to hear from your insurance company to apply for FEMA assistance. If you have insurance, file your claim first, and then apply with FEMA. 

If you are referred to the US Small Business Administration (SBA) for a low-interest disaster loan, you may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/.

Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call 800-877-8339. If SBA does not approve a loan or approves a small loan that doesn’t cover all your needs, you may be eligible for FEMA grant assistance to replace essential household items or meet other disaster-related needs. The deadline to apply for an SBA loan is July 5, 2022.

How to Apply for FEMA Assistance

If you live in one of the five counties designated for federal assistance for the ongoing wildfires, you may complete an application for FEMA assistance now. There are three ways to apply for FEMA assistance:

The fastest and easiest way to apply is by visiting disasterassistance.gov/ and creating a disaster assistance account.

Download the FEMA app

If it is not possible to apply online, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).

You can also visit any Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to get help with your disaster assistance applications, upload documents and get questions answered about federal disaster assistance. Other recovery experts from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the state and nonprofit organizations are typically available in a DRC to address additional needs. For a complete list of DRCs in New Mexico, visit the egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator. All centers are closed Sundays.

To address many of the common myths and rumors during the New Mexico wildfires, FEMA activated a rumor/myth webpage on the disaster homepage. Visit the FAQ/Rumor page at fema.gov/nm-rumors.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4652. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.

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