Following the disaster declaration by President Joe Biden, homeowners and renters in Henry County may apply for disaster assistance from FEMA. Henry County was one of seven counties declared disaster areas from the severe storms and tornadoes on July 14th and 15th. Homeowners and renters may call or apply online for disaster assistance.
If you have insurance coverage for the damage to your property, file a claim first. If you are uninsured or have underinsured losses, apply for FEMA assistance by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, downloading the FEMA app, or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service, or others, give FEMA your number for that service. When calling the FEMA Helpline, multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages).
FEMA can provide money to eligible applicants for help with serious needs, such as paying for a temporary place to live, home repairs, and other needs not covered by insurance.
Have the following information ready when you apply with FEMA:
- A current phone number where you can be contacted,
- Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying,
- Your social security number (or the social security number of a minor child in your household, if you’re applying on their behalf),
- A general list of damage and losses,
- Banking information if you choose direct deposit, and
- If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.
“Getting help to those who need it most is FEMA’s priority. Recovery teams will be out soon in the neighborhoods affected by the disaster to provide one-on-one support to individuals. Recovery centers will also be opening for individuals to get additional in-person help.”
“We continue to coordinate services and assign specialized resources from various state agencies to assist in the recovery from this severe storm,” said Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Our Recovery Division teams are integrally involved in the effort with our local and county partners in bringing multiple Federal programs to these seven counties to recover from the severe weather in July.”
For even more information about the disaster recovery operation in Illinois, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4819. Learn more about citizenship and immigration status requirements to qualify for disaster assistance by visiting www.fema.gov/assistance/