Latest news with #IndividualsandHouseholdsProgram
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FEMA releases final edition of Helene recovery update
TRI-CITIES (WJHL) — After six months, FEMA released the final edition of its recovery update for Hurricane Helene in Tennessee on Friday. The update contains information regarding recovery efforts in the following counties: Greene Hamblen Hawkins Johnson Unicoi Washington, TN Cocke FEMA Individuals and Households Program FEMA has approved over $30.9 million in federal assistance for 7,319 individuals and households in Tennessee. This includes more than $17 million allocated for housing assistance, which encompasses: 367 households that received a total of $718,104 in rental assistance. Over $14 million designated for other needs. Applicants with Disabilities FEMA customer service teams are calling applicants with disabilities to provide personal assistance as part of the agency's commitment to ensuring disaster recovery resources are available to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Mobile coffee trailer raising funds for hurricane recovery National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood Insurance Program has paid out $14.5 million and completed 96.4% of submitted claims. Flood survivors who received funds from FEMA's Individuals and Households Program are required to purchase and maintain flood insurance. This is for protection against future financial devastation after a flood. Learn more at Meeting FEMA's Federal Flood Insurance Requirement | Continued Temporary Housing Assistance If you received two months of FEMA rental assistance after Hurricane Helene and need more time to plan your recovery, you may be eligible for Continued Temporary Housing Assistance. Understanding Your FEMA Letter If your FEMA decision letter says you are ineligible for assistance, it may not be a denial. Often, you only need to send more information or documentation to support your application. Learn more about Understanding FEMA's Eligibility Decision | and Helpful Tips to Appeal a FEMA Decision | Permits If your home was damaged by Hurricane Helene, contact your community's local building and permitting departments before starting demolition and repairs. Visit Permits Required Before Rebuilding | Privately Owned Roads and Bridges If your privately owned road or bridge was damaged or destroyed by Helene, FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Administration may provide financial assistance for replacement or repairs. Visit Privately Owned Roads and Bridges | FEMA is Still Here to Help Tennessee Survivors FEMA urges survivors to stay in touch. For more information, go to use the FEMA app for mobile devices, or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to midnight ET seven days a week, and specialists speak many languages. For the latest information about Tennessee's recovery, visit or Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How much FEMA, HUD disaster funding has Texas received?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Amid uncertainties surrounding the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Donald Trump's administration, data collected by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace revealed Texas is one of the largest state-level recipients of federal disaster relief funds in the country. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that relegates disaster preparation responsibilities to state and local governments, with calls to alter critical infrastructure policy 'to better reflect assessed risks,' per Reuters reporting. Historically, disaster recovery has operated in the U.S. based on a three-legged approach, with government funding sitting in tandem with insurance and private funding, the Carnegie Endowment noted. In the Carnegie Endowment's Disaster Dollar Database, Texas was the fourth-largest recipient of federal grants related to disaster recovery, with nearly $22 billion allocated to the Lone Star State between September 2003 and January 2005. Also in the top five were Louisiana, with nearly $47 billion, New York, with $28 billion, Florida, with nearly $28 billion, and Mississippi, with almost $11 billion. Federal grant funding for disaster recovery is divvied into three types: FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, FEMA's Public Assistance aid and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery, per the Carnegie Endowment. Looking through Texas' largest disasters, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was the state's costliest incident in terms of federal relief sustained. Relief dollars broke down into more than $1.6 billion for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, nearly $3 billion for FEMA's Public Assistance and more than $5.7 billion for HUD's allocations. Other costly incidents in Texas included Hurricane Ike in 2008, Hurricane Dolly in 2008 and Hurricane Rita in 2005. More recently, last summer's Hurricane Beryl, alongside 2024 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding made the rankings, as well as the 2021 severe winter storm that rippled across Texas. The full dashboard is available for review online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senator Rand Paul, others, work to simplify FEMA application process
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – U.S. Senator Rand Paul and others reintroduced bipartisan legislation to simplify the application process for federal disaster recovery assistance. Officials say the legislation would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a universal application across federal agencies for disaster survivors who are seeking federal assistance to recover from hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other natural disasters. Currently, individuals seeking federal aid to recover from a disaster must complete 'complicated' applications depending on which agency they need help from – a process that can take weeks or even months. The senators' legislation would help streamline this process. Republicans worry Trump's tariffs could harm economy 'Over the past few years, Kentucky has endured several deadly tornadoes and flash floods, leaving significant damage and displacing thousands throughout the Commonwealth,' said Sen. Paul. 'Many of those impacted have expressed challenges in receiving quick assistance and updates from government agencies. As part of my commitment to always put Kentuckians first, I'm proud to cosponsor the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, which will reduce the burden on disaster survivors by ensuring the process of receiving aid is simple and speedy. I look forward to working with a bipartisan coalition to get this important legislation passed expeditiously.' Officials explain after a disaster, there are several types of federal disaster assistance that may become available to disaster survivors. For example, FEMA's Individuals and Households Program can provide financial or direct assistance for housing and other needs and the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Real Property Disaster Loans and Personal Property Loans are available to eligible homeowners and renters who have incurred uninsured or underinsured damage to their home or personal property located in a declared disaster area. The senators argue these 'burdensome' applications can overwhelm some survivors, causing many to simply give up trying to access desperately needed assistance and pushing survivors beyond their breaking point. Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to voters Sen. Paul's office explains the 'Disaster Assistance Simplification Act' amends the 'Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act' to require FEMA to establish a universal disaster application across federal agencies for disaster survivors who are seeking federal recovery aid. The bill would allow FEMA to share information on disaster survivors with other federal agencies to streamline recovery efforts and reduce the burden on survivors after a disaster. Finally, the bill requires all information sharing practices to meet federal data security standards. The legislation can be viewed below. BILLS-118s1528esDownload 'Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
