September 3, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEMA Individual Assistance Guidance for Scott County Residents

Scott County, Iowa – Homeowners and renters in Scott County, as well as 9 additional counties in Iowa, may now apply for FEMA Individual Assistance for losses resulting from the severe storms on Aug. 10, 2020.

Assistance provided by FEMA for homeowners can include grants for repairs to make their primary home habitable. Rental assistance is available to pay for temporary housing for homeowners and renters. Lodging expense reimbursement may be available to eligible households who may have stayed in a hotel for a short period of time.

FEMA assistance can also help with other disaster-related needs like replacing essential household items, and medical and dental expenses.

Federal FEMA Individual Assistance

Homeowners are encourage to contact your insurance company and file a claim for the disaster-caused damage you’ve suffered.  Homeowners do not need to wait for approval from FEMA to begin cleaning up their property, but be sure to take photographs or video of the damage and keep all receipts for repair work.

Homeowners with losses not covered by insurance or losses in excess of what was covered by the state of Iowa’s Individual Assistance program may be eligible for federal individual assistance through FEMA.

Applicants will need the following to apply. All required documents can be uploaded at DisasterAssistance.gov:

• Address of the damaged property
• Description of disaster-caused damage and losses
• Current mailing address
• Current telephone number
• Social Security number of one member of the household
• Insurance information
• Total household annual income
• Bank account routing and account number for direct deposit
• Save your FEMA registration number, also known as FEMA ID number.
• Check your DisasterAssistance.gov account for updates.

Applying for Assistance

Survivors can apply for assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 for TTY users. Users of 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) may call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week, until further notice. Survivors may register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. At this time, there will not be a local in-person presence for applying for assistance.

Home Inspections and COVID-19

If you reported that you cannot or may not be able to safely live in your home, it may be necessary for FEMA to perform an inspection of the damaged dwelling.

Due to the COVID-19 nationwide emergency and the need to protect the safety and health of all Americans, some FEMA inspections may be conducted remotely.

For remote inspections, FEMA inspectors will contact applicants by phone to answer questions about the type and extent of damage sustained. Remote inspections provide a new way of evaluating damage; it is comparable to traditional, in-person inspections and expedites the delivery of recovery assistance to survivors based on their eligibility.

Survivors with minimal damage who can live in their homes will not automatically be scheduled for a home inspection when applying for FEMA assistance. Instead, they will receive a letter from FEMA explaining that they may call the FEMA Helpline to request an inspection if they find significant disaster-caused damage to their home after they have applied.

Preliminary damage assessments are ongoing and other counties may be designated later for Individual Assistance.

If you have any questions, you can always contact the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. For TTY call 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service please call 800-621-3362.

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For more information on the Iowa disaster and a variety of recovery resources, log on to: iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs and www.disasterrecovery.iowa.gov.