- Richardson County DRC Open
FEMA UPDATE
First Steps to Recovery
Even if your county has not yet been declared for Individual Assistance you should not wait to start your recovery.
- Call your insurance agent to see if there is coverage for your losses under a traditional homeowner’s or renter’s policy or under a flood insurance policy.
- Document your damage.
Take photos or video; Make lists of damaged items; Keep receipts for repairs
Although FEMA assistance cannot make you whole, it may help your recovery by providing grants for basic repairs to make your home safe, accessible and secure.
FEMA assistance may also provide grants for a temporary place for you and your family to stay while you build your recovery plan.
How to apply:
- By phone, call FEMA’s toll-free registration line at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585; or use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS). Telephone registration is available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time seven days a week.
- Online, visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
- On a smartphone, download the FEMA app and click on “disaster resources,” then “apply for assistance online.”
- Visit a Disaster Recovery Center and speak to a FEMA specialist one-on-one.
- FEMA Registration Deadline is May 20, 2019.
- Applicants for disaster assistance should have the following information on hand:
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- Social Security number
- Address of the damaged primary residence
- Description of the damage
- Information about insurance coverage
- A current contact telephone number
- An address where they can receive mail
- Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit offunds
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Understanding Your FEMA Letter
If you applied for assistance from FEMA, you will receive a letter in the mail or via email that explains the status of your application and how to respond. It is important to read the letter carefully. Your letter will include the amount of any assistance FEMA may provide and information on the appropriate use of disaster assistance funds.
You may need to submit additional informationfor FEMA to continue to process your application.
If you have questions about the letter, you may go online toDisasterAssistance.gov; call the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362or800-462-7585(TTY); or visit a disaster recovery center. To find center locations and hours, go online toFEMA.gov/DRCor download theFEMA mobile app.
If you disagree with FEMA’s decision, or the amount of assistance, you may submit an appeal within 60 days of receiving your determination letter from FEMA along with any documents needed to support your claim, such as a contractor’s estimate for home repairs.Appeal letters and supporting documents may be submitted to FEMA by fax or mail, in person at a Disaster Recovery Center, or online if you have a FEMA online account. To set up a FEMA online account, visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov, click on “Check Status” and follow the directions.
You must file your appeal in writing to FEMA. In a signed and dated letter, you must explain the reason(s) for your appeal. Your appeal letter should also include:
Your full name
Disaster number
Address of the pre-disaster primary residence
Your current phone number and address
Your FEMA registration number on all documents
By mail: FEMA National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055.By fax: 800-827-8112, Attention: FEMA.
Individual & Households Program (IHP)
Nebraska homeowners, renters and business inAntelope, Boyd, Burt, Cuming, Hall, Howard, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Saline, Stanton,Knox, Thurston, Boone, Buffalo, Custer, Richardson, Butler,Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy,Saunders,Washingtoncounties and the Santee Sioux Nationmay apply for federal disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses resulting from severe winter storm, straight-line winds and flooding. Additional counties may be designated as damage assessments are completed.
To date 4,847applicants have applied for FEMA Individual Assistance
FEMA Individual Assistance approved to date:$18,524,332
Housing Assistance:$16,616,543
Other Needs Assistance:$1,907,789
FEMA Individual Assistance includes:
- Housing Assistance
- Temporary Housing: Money to rent a temporary place to stay.
- Housing Repair: Money for homeowners to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to repair the home to a safe and sanitary living or functioning condition. FEMA will not pay to return a home to its condition before the disaster. Repair and replacement items include:
- Structural parts of a home (foundation, outside walls, roof)
- Windows, doors, floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets
- Septic or sewage system
- Well or other water system
- Heating, ventilating, air-conditioning system
- Utilities (electrical, plumbing, gas systems)
- Entrance and exit ways from the home, including privately owned access roads
- Blocking, leveling and anchoring of a mobile home and reconnecting or resetting its sewer, water, electrical and fuel lines and tanks
- Other Needs Assistance
- The Other Needs Assistance provision of the Individuals and Households Program provides grants for uninsured, disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs. Assistance includes:
- Medical and dental expenses
- Funeral and burial costs
- Repair, cleaning or replacement of:
Clothing
Household items (room furnishings, appliances)
Specialized tools or protective clothing and equipment required for your job
Necessary educational materials (computers, school books, supplies)
Cleanup items (wet/dry vacuum, air purifier, dehumidifier)
Fuel (fuel, chain saw, firewood)
Vehicles damaged by the disaster, or public transportation or other transportation costs
Moving and storage expenses related to the disaster (including evacuation, storage or the return of property to a home)
The cost of a National Flood Insurance Program group flood insurance policy to meet flood insurance requirements.
FEMA Teams Going Door to Door
FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are working in impacted neighborhoods to help survivors register for assistance and to identify immediate and emerging needs. Teams are operating in Boone, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties. They have visited more than12,526homes.
College Students May Be Eligible for Disaster Assistance
Students who attend Nebraska colleges or universities in areas impacted by the March winter storm and flooding may be eligible for federal disaster assistance. Their permanent residence does not need to be in any of the 27 designated counties to be eligible for assistance. However, property damages or losses must have occurred in the impacted areas. Property damages or losses that may be eligible for repair or replacement include personal vehicles, clothing, text books and school supplies.
FEMA/STATE TEMPORARY DISASTER RECOVER CENTERS
RICHARDSON COUNTY
City Auditorium
312 W. 17th St.
Falls City, NE 68355
Open April 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
(Closed April 21 for Easter)
9 am to 6 pm
Visit:FEMA.gov/DRCordownload the FEMA Apptolocate open disaster recovery centersin your area.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
SBA Disaster Loans Fuel Recovery, May Open Door to More FEMA Benefits
After registering for disaster assistance with FEMA, most homeowners and renters may also be contacted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to apply for a low-interest disaster loan. There are good reasons to apply, even if the survivor had not considered a loan.
SBA has approved nearly$13,363,300in low-interest disaster loans for residents and businesses as ofApril 15th. SBA is continuing to process and approve loan applications for businesses and residents as quickly as possible.
Business owners, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters may be eligible for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help recover from losses not covered by insurance, grants or other sources. Businesses and residents can visit SBA.gov/disastercall SBA’s Customer Service Center at800-659-2955or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.TTY users may call800-877-8339.
FEMA Hiring Nebraskans to Work on Disaster Recovery
FEMA plans to hire Nebraskans to help with recovery efforts. Anyone interested in temporary job opportunities should go toUSAJOBS.govand create a free account. The website is updated as new postings occur. In the search box, type “FEMA Local Hire” and put “Nebraska” in the location box.
FEMA Career Fair for Military-Veterans-Spouses and Working Age Dependents
Thursday April 25, 4 to 7PM
Veterans Affairs Auditorium
North Entrance 600 S 70thStreet
Lincoln NE
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
To date, NFIP has received1,007flood insurance claims in Nebraska and issued$4,253,180in advance payments to policyholders. Total paid to date is$12,384,514
FEMA Public Assistance Program
Public Assistance (PA) is FEMA’s largest grant program, providing funds to assist communities responding to and recovering from major disasters or emergencies declared by the President. The program provides emergency assistance to save lives and protect property and assists with permanently restoring community infrastructure affected by a federally declared incident.
Currently,76 countiesand 5 tribal nationsare designated for FEMA Public AssistancePrograms:
Banner, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Franklin, Garden, Kimball, Phelps, Sheridan, Sioux, Webster,Adams, Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Cherry, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Fillmore, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Harlan, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keya Paha, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Pierce, Platte, Richardson, Rock, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler and York.
- Omaha Tribe of Nebraska,Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, Sac and Fox, Santee Sioux Nationand Winnebago Tribe
NEMA has set a briefing schedule for Public Assistance grant candidates. The briefings are for state businesses, counties, cities, sanitary enhancement districts, public energy districts, natural assets districts and other public entities that experienced injury from the March flooding.
Debris Removal a Priority for Communities after Nebraska Flooding
NEMA, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and FEMA are coordinating cleanup efforts in Nebraska.
As local communities coordinate their debris removal process, the NEMA, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and FEMA advise residents not to wait to clean up.
Document damage with photos or videos.
Separate debris into categories and place at the curb.
Debris should not block the roadway.
For more information, go online to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality atdeq.state.ne.us/.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Available
Nebraska Labor Commissioner John H. Albin announced that workers who became unemployed as a direct result of flooding in the state may qualify for unemployment assistance. People who live in or worked in the counties designated for FEMA Individual Assistance, and whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to the flooding, may be eligible for assistance.
Individuals can generally receive up to 26 weeks of DUA benefits as long as unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis.
Workers in Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders and Washingtoncounties haveuntil April 26to apply.
Workers in Boone, Buffalo, Custer, Knox, Richardson and Thurstoncounties and the Santee Sioux Nation haveuntil May 3to apply.
General information about DUA can be found atdol.nebraska.gov/UIBenefits/Programs/DUA.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (D-SNAP) Expanded
Residents of 12 more Nebraska counties may be eligible for individual assistance, including Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (D-SNAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Children and Family Services’ request to implement D-SNAP for qualified individuals in the following counties:Antelope, Boyd, Burt, Cuming, Hall, Howard, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, SalineandStanton.
D-SNAP was previously approved for eligible residents of Boone, Buffalo, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Custer, Dodge, Douglas, Knox, Nemaha, Richardson, Sarpy, Saunders, Thurston and Washington counties and the Santee Sioux Nation.
For more information, go toNebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Assistance for Landowners, Farmers, Ranchers and Producers
USDA offers many programs that can provide assistance to landowners, farmers, ranchers and producers during disasters. The Emergency Conservation Program provides funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by wind erosion, floods, hurricanes, or other natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures during periods of severe drought. The Emergency Watershed Protection Program helps protect lives and property threatened by floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.
Programs also are available for orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters. For those livestock owners with honeybees or farm-raised fish, assistance is available through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish program.
Emergency grazing has been authorized on Conservation Reserve Program acres for all counties in Nebraska until April 30.
For information on these programs, contact your localUSDA Farm Services Agencyprior to conducting any repairs.
Tax Relief for Nebraska Survivors
Individuals who reside or have a business in counties designated for FEMA Individual Assistance may qualify for tax relief. For instance, taxpayers with certain deadlines falling on or after March 9, 2019 and before July 31, 2019, are granted additional time to file through July 31, 2019. This includes 2018 individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2019. It also includes the quarterly estimated income tax payments due on April 15, 2019, and June 17, 2019. Eligible taxpayers will also have until July 31, 2019 to make 2018 IRA contributions.
In addition, penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after March 9, 2019, and before March 25, 2019, will be abated as long as the deposits were made by March 25, 2019.
