Friends and Neighbors,

As North Carolina is recovering from the destruction caused by Florence, the devastation left behind cannot be understated. If you have sustained severe storm or flood property damage from Hurricane Florence, I encourage you to apply for federal disaster assistance. Below is information to apply and more can be found at tillis.senate.gov. If you experience any issues with FEMA after you apply, make sure your next call is to my office at (919) 856-4630.

Returning To Your Home

• People returning home should exercise extreme caution as emergency crews respond to affected areas and avoid driving through flooded roadways.
• Only return to your home when authorities indicate it is safe. Watch out for debris and downed power lines and avoid walking or driving through flood waters. Flood waters may be electrically-charged from underground or downed power lines and may hide dangerous debris or places where the ground is washed away.
• You are also advised to photograph damaged property in order to assist in filing an insurance claim and do what is possible to prevent further damage to property (e.g., putting a tarp on a damaged roof), as insurance may not cover additional damage that occurs after the storm.
• Contact your insurance company and file a claim. Get your company’s contact information online at the Department of Insurance for the state where the damage occurred.

Major Disaster Declaration

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of North Carolina to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence. Residents residing in these counties are currently eligible for FEMA assistance and their applications can begin to be processed.

• Beaufort
• Bladen
• Brunswick
• Carteret
• Columbus
• Craven
• Cumberland
• Duplin
• Harnett
• Hoke
• Hyde
• Johnston
• Jones
• Lee
• Lenoir
• Moore
• New Hanover
• Onslow
• Pamlico
• Pender
• Pitt
• Richmond
• Robeson
• Sampson
• Scotland
• Wayne
• Wilson

Disaster Recovery Centers will be opening in the affected areas. The centers offer in-person support to individuals and businesses in the counties included in the North Carolina major disaster declaration for Hurricane Florence and the subsequent floods. Recovery specialists from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the state and other organizations will be at the centers to talk about assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance in filing an application. 

Click HERE to see a list of recovery centers open in North Carolina. 

How To Apply For Aid

• Apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov. Constituents may call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
• FEMA has an app for constituents to upload pictures in order to document damage, apply for assistance, learn about the process, locate nearby shelters and local assistance in addition to numerous links and documents to help with preparedness, emergency relief and clean up/removal.

If you have any trouble or would like more guidance, please call my office at (919) 856-4630.

Click HERE for more information on what you need before applying for disaster assistance.

File a Flood Insurance Claim 

• Visit https://www.fema.gov/nfip-file-your-claim to begin your claim or if you have questions.
• Call 1-800-427-4661 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT and select option two. Call center staff are available to assist with information regarding your policy, offer technical flood guidance to aid in recovery and answer other flood insurance questions. You can be transferred to your insurance carrier for additional assistance if you have further questions.
• Concerns with policy lapse – FEMA wants to assure its National Flood Insurance Program policyholders affected by flooding that if your policy is up for renewal and you have not yet paid, you have 30 days from the date your policy expires in which to pay your premium. Paying your premium by this deadline will ensure that you do not experience a lapse in coverage. 

Click HERE for more information on starting the flood insurance claims process.

Business Assistance 

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest loans for business damages. Learn more about the business loan application process at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
• Additional details on the loan application process can be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an e-mail to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Farmer Assistance 

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages producers with crops insured under the Federal crop insurance program to immediately contact their local crop insurance agent to report any damage to insured crops after the storm.
• Agriculture Weather Emergency Hotline to contact NC Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services: 1-866-645-9403.
• Farmers can also consult USDA’s Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool to see what assistance programs they may be eligible.
• Click HERE for a list of NC offices.

FAQ

What do I do if my home is damaged?

1. If your home/primary residence has been damaged and you reside in a county under a presidential disaster declaration, you are eligible for FEMA housing assistance. FEMA provides housing assistance to individuals and families who have lost their homes as a result of a presidentially-declared disaster. By law, FEMA assistance cannot duplicate the assistance you receive from your insurance company, but you may receive assistance for items not covered by insurance.  If your home was affected by a major disaster, we recommend that you apply for assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, or call 800-621-3362 (800-462-7585 TTY) (multilingual operators are available—press 2 for Spanish).

How do I apply for FEMA assistance?

1. Contact your private insurance and start documenting the damage. You are advised to photograph damaged property in order to assist in filing an insurance claim and do what is possible to prevent further damage to property (e.g., putting a tarp on a damaged roof), as insurance may not cover additional damage that occurs after the storm.
2. Start your FEMA application even if your county has not been federally declared for Individual Assistance (IA). This will help speed up the process if counties are added to a declaration. Your application will be processed if your county is added to a declaration and FEMA determines you are eligible. To apply please visit www.disasterassistance.gov. Constituents may call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.

Why isn't my county included in the disaster declaration?

1. The state is still in rescue and human response mode and the initials designations were to get FEMA on the ground in a greater way than previously allowed. As flood levels dissipate and emergency management is able to assess the damage, the state is working with its FEMA partner on designations. These conditions don’t allow for damaged assessments but as we move into recovery mode state and federal officials will be assessing the damage and more counties are likely to be designated.
2. You can still go to www.disasterassistance.gov and apply for assistance. This will help speed up the process if counties are added to a declaration. Your application will be processed if your county is added to a declaration and FEMA determines you are eligible. There is a place on the website where you can put your address in and it will tell you if your county is eligible for Individual Assistance. 

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Stay safe,