Helena, Mont. –Montanans recovering from June’s severe flooding event will continue to have access to resources even though FEMA’s application eligibility period has ended.
Support Will Continue for Affected Montanans
The State of Montana continues to provide valuable resources to survivors at floodrecovery.mt.gov. This page is devoted to state resources currently available to survivors and will be where future endeavors are announced. Montanans can use that website to access information about disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers, access unemployment resources, and see updates on additional efforts to help disaster survivors.
Montana Disaster & Emergency Services also provides flood recovery resources and information about creating a disaster resilient Montana on their website at des.mt.gov.
FEMA Assistance to Montana Survivors
In response to Montana’s request, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration June 16, 2022. Since the declaration, more than $19 Million in federal assistance has been approved for Montana homeowners, business owners and renters.
FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) disbursed over $2.6 Million in aid to individuals eligible for assistance. Within this program, over $2.4 Million was used under Housing Assistance and $211,734 was used for Other Needs Assistance.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, the federal government’s primary source of money for long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property, approved $9.8 Million in loans to Montana homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations.
The National Flood Insurance Program provided $4.2 Million to claimants affected by the flooding. This again proves that Flood Insurance is the best tool for protecting one financially from the devastating effects of flooding.
FEMA's Individual Assistance program issued 579 home inspections and received 853 valid registrations.
A total of 874 survivors were assisted at the 8 local Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) operating in Carbon, Park, Stillwater and Yellowstone counties. Each of these centers are now closed, but residents are reminded to keep in touch with FEMA by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
Stay in Touch With FEMA
If you have already applied for assistance, you should notify the agency of any additional damage discovered since your home inspection. Be sure to update any changes in your mailing or email address, phone number, and the current status of your insurance settlements.
Appealing a FEMA Decision
Homeowners and renters who applied for FEMA disaster assistance have the right to appeal FEMA’s eligibility decisions. Survivors who don’t agree with FEMA’s eligibility decision may file an appeal in writing within 60 days of receiving their letter, even after the application deadline has passed.
Small Business Administration
Long-term, low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other sources.
The deadline was Aug. 29 to apply to SBA for physical property damage, but the deadline to apply for economic injury is March 30, 2023.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela. For more information or assistance with SBA disaster assistance please contact SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Mitigation Assistance
Contact the FEMA Mitigation Helpline at 833-FEMA-4-US (833-336-2487) for information on resilient building practices. Mitigation specialists are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT. You can also email the team at FEMA-R8-Hmhelp@fema.dhs.gov.
For more information about FEMA’s support to Montana’s flooding and severe storms recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4655. Follow the FEMA Region 8 Twitter account at https://twitter.com/femaregion8.