In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, tens of thousands of New Jersey residents have turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for help in getting back on their feet. In many cases, however, residents have been turned away.
After Gov. Chris Christie announced a deadline extension until Jan. 30 for residents to apply for disaster relief, FEMA distributed a number of tips for those whose applications have been rejected.
FEMA has already distributed , but, by law, can only provide rent or repair money when there is damage to a home’s living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and occupied bedrooms. With these conditions in mind, FEMA has rejected some applications because of “insufficient damage,” the agency said in a release Tuesday.
An aid rejection is not the final step, however.
Firstly, FEMA officials encourage residents who have been denied aid to reapply and ask for a re-inspection. FEMA will reconsider further requests for housing assistance, the agency said, even if the first request was denied. Those seeking re-inspections should call the FEMA helpline by phone or 711/VRS at 800-621-3362, TTY 800-462-7585.
There are other options, too:
Residents denied FEMA aid should complete and return SBA low-interest disaster loan applications, which may be available to help homeowners rebuild.
FEMA is also asking residents to seek volunteer help. Dozens of private nonprofit groups are helping New Jersey and its resident, a release said, and some groups are available to provide minor repairs for those homes not sufficiently damaged. For information about volunteers, call 211 or visit NJ211.org.
Additionally, residents can also file an appeal. All FEMA decisions can be appealed, the agency said:
For information on filing an appeal, survivors should refer to the “Help After Disaster" guide, which is mailed to everyone who registers with FEMA. The guide also is available online at www.fema.gov/help-after-disaster.
do you expect free money? what would you consider to be a suitable solution?
The amont of money we were granted won't cover 1/10th of the damage to my home. We weren't asking for money to replace appliances or personal affects, just enough to get the home back into inhabitable condition. While the loan is an idea, it places people who were living paycheck to paycheck in a very poor position. Even at the lowest rates, the supplemental drain on their income will cause more people in the long run to lose their homes and put such a severe strain on them financially, they will end up having to come back to the government in the long run for further assistance. My question is this: With all the money being donated to the various charities and organizations to help people affected by the storm, where is it going?
It seems like a lot of towns and cities that have recieved donations have taken it upon themselves to approbate the funds as they determine, and WHEN they determine. Meanwhile, people are living in shelters, with families, in rented apartments, etc... The point of FEMA was to help restore people back to a situation they could manage, and I can say as one person who needed help, they failed me and my family. My home is destroyed, and my family will have to spend Christmas somewhere else. Also as a side note it doesn't seem like anyone is addressing: How about the gouging by clean-up companies? We called companies liek Serv-Pro and Contractors just to get an appraisal on our home. The contractor wanted $800 just to come out to do an inspection, and Serv-Pro said they were only coming out to work on the home, not to appraise and I was to have a check in hand for 50% of the cost. When I told Serv-Pro I didn't have the funds on hand they told me, "Well call back when you do," and hung up on me. Merry Christmas right?