Those affected by the devastating Los Angeles area wildfires may now be eligible to receive financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This week, a bipartisan group of California lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to approve Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration.
The president swiftly approved the Major Disaster Declaration to supplement recovery efforts and has also pledged that costs associated with battling these wildfires will be 100 percent covered by the federal government for 180 days.
“This ensures impacted communities and survivors have immediate access to critical funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery,” Biden stated.
The assistance from FEMA is intended to help survivors initiate the recovery process by covering underinsured or uninsured necessary expenses and basic needs, like housing, transportation, food, childcare, burying their loved ones, rebuilding and so much more.
By law, FEMA is not able to duplicate any benefits covered by insurance, so it’s important to first file a claim with your insurance company before applying for FEMA assistance. You may still be eligible for federal assistance if your insurance does not cover all your damage.
Eligible survivors can receive various forms FEMA assistance, such as:
- Money for essential items (food, water, baby formula, breast feeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies
- Money to help with housing needs, which can be used to stay in a hotel or with family/friends
- Money for rental assistance
- Money to help with basic home repairs
- Childcare assistance
- Funeral costs coverage
To learn more about the types of assistance available, visit: fema.gov/assistance/individual/program.
How to Apply for FEMA Assistance
After making an initial claim with their insurance provider, affected residents can apply one of three ways for assistance:
- Online at gov.If you have access to the internet and your electronic devices have power, applying online is the easiest, fastest and most convenient way to apply.
- On the FEMA Appfor mobile devices.
- Calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: FEMA Accessible: Registering for Individual Assistance – YouTube.
