What to Expect After You Register

Release Date Release Number
NR002
Release Date:
August 21, 2020

Some Survivors May Be Contacted for Remote Home Inspections

DES MOINES, Iowa – If you were affected by the August 10 severe storms and live in Linn County, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance. 

Assistance provided by FEMA for homeowners can include grants for repairs to make their primary home habitable. Rental assistance is available to pay for temporary housing for homeowners and renters. FEMA assistance can also help with other disaster-related needs like replacing essential household items, medical and dental expenses.

First, if you haven’t already done so, contact your insurance company and file a claim for the disaster-caused damage you’ve suffered.  You don’t have to wait for FEMA to start cleaning up but be sure to take photographs or video of the damage and keep all receipts for repair work.

If you have losses not covered by insurance, contact FEMA by either going online to DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the helpline at 800-621-3362. TTY users can call 800-462-7585.

 

Information that will be required when you register includes:

  • Address of the damaged primary dwelling where the damage occurred
  • Current mailing address
  • Current telephone number
  • Social Security number
  • Insurance information
  • Total household annual income
  • Routing and account number for checking or savings account so FEMA may directly

      transfer disaster assistance funds

  • A description of disaster-caused damage and losses

 

Home Inspections and COVID-19

If you reported that you cannot or may not be able to safely live in your home, it may be necessary for FEMA to perform an inspection of the damaged dwelling.

Due to the COVID-19 nationwide emergency and the need to protect the safety and health of all Americans, some FEMA inspections may be conducted remotely.

For remote inspections, FEMA inspectors will contact applicants by phone to answer questions about the type and extent of damage sustained. Remote inspections provide a new way of evaluating damage; it is comparable to traditional, in-person inspections and expedites the delivery of recovery assistance to survivors based on their eligibility.

Survivors with minimal damage who can live in their homes will not automatically be scheduled for a home inspection when applying for FEMA assistance. Instead, they will receive a letter from FEMA explaining that they may call the FEMA Helpline to request an inspection if they find significant disaster-caused damage to their home after they have applied.

 

Preliminary damage assessments are ongoing and other counties may be designated later for Individual Assistance.

If you have any questions, you can always contact the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. For TTY call 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service please call 800-621-3362.

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For more information on the Iowa disaster and a variety of recovery resources, log on to: https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs and www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov

FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has faced discrimination or needs help with accessible communication, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available.

HSEMD Mission: To lead, coordinate and support homeland security and emergency management functions in order to establish sustainable communities and ensure economic opportunities for Iowa and its citizens.

 

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