Floridians who were impacted by the April 12 – 14 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Broward County may be eligible for FEMA assistance for temporary lodging, basic home repairs, personal property losses and other eligible expenses.
Lodging Expense Reimbursement
Under FEMA’s Individuals and Households program, lodging expenses may be eligible for reimbursement if an applicant:
- Verifies occupancy in a primary residence within Broward County.
- Verifies that the primary residence is uninhabitable or inaccessible due to the storm.
Rental Assistance for Temporary Housing
FEMA may be able to provide rent, including a security deposit, if the storm made your primary residence uninhabitable. The assistance may include essential utilities such as electricity and water.
Major Repairs and Out-of-Pocket Expenses
FEMA’s Individuals and Household Program assistance is intended to meet the basic needs of your household, not to restore your home and all your personal property items to a pre-storm condition.
- “Housing Assistance” covers repairs to structural parts of your home. This includes windows, doors, floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, utilities (electrical, plumbing and gas systems), and entrance ways. FEMA may also reimburse for repair or replacement of your furnace, well and septic system.
- “Other Needs Assistance” may provide reimbursement to homeowners and renters for such uninsured or underinsured, storm-related expenses as:
- Medical and dental expenses; funeral and burial costs; repair, cleaning, or replacement of clothing; household furniture and appliances; specialized tools used in your occupation; educational materials and moving, storage and other necessary expenses related to the storm and flooding.
- Your personally owned, disaster-damaged cars and trucks may also be eligible for repair or replacement by FEMA.
- FEMA may be able to reimburse applicants who rented or purchased generators for their primary residence during a power disruption caused by the severe storms and flooding.
Apply to FEMA
- To be eligible for FEMA’s Individual and Households Program, you must apply to FEMA. There are three ways to apply: 1) DisasterAssistance.gov, 2) download the FEMA App for mobile devices, 3) call the FEMA Helpline toll-free 800-621-3362. The helpline is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
- For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance, go to, FEMA Accessible: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance.
For the latest information on Florida’s recovery from the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, visit floridadisaster.org/info and fema.gov/disaster/4709. Follow FEMA on Twitter at FEMA Region 4 (@femaregion4) / Twitter and at facebook.com/fema.