Two Weeks Left to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

Homeowners and renters with uninsured or underinsured damage to their property from Hurricane Ida in the Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties have two weeks left to apply for federal disaster assistance.

• The deadline to apply for assistance from FEMA is Monday, Dec. 6. This is also the deadline to apply for a disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
• Survivors are encouraged to file insurance claims for damage to their homes, personal property and vehicles before they apply for FEMA assistance.
• FEMA provides funds paid directly to eligible individuals and households. Financial Housing Assistance may include rental assistance, lodging expenses reimbursement, home repair assistance, and replacement assistance. All are explained as follows:
  • Rental Assistance is financial assistance for homeowners and renters for temporary housing if Hurricane Ida displaced them from their primary residence. 
  • Lodging Expense Reimbursement is reimbursement for out-of-pocket temporary lodging expenses that resulted from damage that made their primary residence uninhabitable. Eligible lodging expenses may include the cost of the room and any associated taxes.
  • Home Repair Assistance is financial assistance for homeowners to repair their primary residences, utilities servicing the primary residence, and residential infrastructure leading to their Hurricane Ida-damaged property.
  • Replacement Assistance is financial assistance for any homeowner whose primary residence was destroyed by Hurricane Ida and can be applied to the purchase of a new permanent residence.
  • Other Needs Assistance is financial assistance for other disaster-caused expenses and immediate needs. This assistance may include funds to replace personal property, moving and storage expenses, transportation assistance, funeral, medical, dental, childcare, and miscellaneous disaster-related items.
• To apply for FEMA assistance, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app or call the
• FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Helpline operators are available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Press 2 for Spanish. Press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language.
• Applicants for FEMA disaster assistance should have the following information before they apply: Social Security number; address of the damaged primary residence; insurance information; current telephone number and mailing address; and bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.
• The primary source of federal funding for long-term disaster recovery not covered by insurance is the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA offers disaster assistance in the form of low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses. SBA also provides eligible small businesses and nonprofit organizations with working capital to help overcome an economic injury. 
• Homeowners, renters and businesses that were affected by Hurricane Ida may apply for disaster loans using SBA’s secure website: disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/. For more information, applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call 800-877-8339.
• Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.
• For the latest on New York’s Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, visit fema.gov/disaster/4615. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion2 and facebook.com/fema.