Hospitals & Asylums
FEMA HA-21-12-05
Thank you for your e-mail to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). We read each incoming e-mail. If we find
that the information below does not respond to your inquiry or refer you to an appropriate
source that can meet your needs, we will contact you as soon as possible or
refer your inquiry to the appropriate unit for its direct handling. If
you are inquiring about your existing FEMA registration or a problem in
registering, your e-mail will be referred directly to our case processors.
If you offered a suggestion, we will forward it to
the relevant unit if it is new and potentially usable. If you offered a
comment, criticism or support, we will review it.
We know this is a lot of information, but please
scan the headings to find the item that is important to you, and then read its
details carefully. Please also note that many of the web sites listed
below are regularly expanding or updating information.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN RESPONSE
TO THE MOST FREQUENT INQUIRIES WE CURRENTLY ARE RECEIVING
UPCOMING COMPLETION OF KATRINA/RITA EVACUEE
TRANSITION FROM HOTELS TO RENTAL OR OTHER HOUSING
If you are a Katrina or Rita evacuee presently
housed in a hotel, you should contact FEMA’s Helpline at (800) 621-3362 as soon
as possible between
To locate available housing on your own, you can
contact the local housing authority and realtors; search the Internet; look in
local newspapers, apartment guides, and realtor listings; check community
bulletin boards and/or ask at schools, community centers, churches, etc.
If you need other referrals to locate appropriate housing, call (800) 762-8740
(or for the TTY caller (800) 4627585) from
FEMA wants to work with you on housing options
that will make your money go further and get you into more permanent housing
before the holidays. If you have not registered for disaster assistance, please
do so at once. See registration information later in this response.
KATRINA HOME INSPECTIONS
Many home inspections in the most devastated areas
of five parishes in
If you lived in one of these devastated locations
and receive notification that you do not need an inspection, this means you do
not need an inspector visit because your home’s status has been verified by
aerial inspection.
RELATION BETWEEN FEMA ASSISTANCE AND SBA
LOANS
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is
FEMA’s principal federal partner in providing disaster assistance. SBA
makes low-interest disaster loans of up to $200,000 for a house and $40,000 for
personal property to qualified borrowers. FEMA applicants who satisfy a
threshold income minimum are sent an SBA loan application. FEMA will
consider an applicant for assistance in connection with personal property or
vehicle damage ONLY if the applicant does not qualify for an SBA loan. If
an SBA application is provided, then it must be submitted and then be declined
by SBA in order for the applicant to be considered for personal property or
vehicle assistance by FEMA.
Please note that FEMA housing assistance,
including rental assistance and funds for housing repair or replacement, IS NOT
dependent on either completing an SBA application or being declined by
SBA.
FEMA APPLICATION DEADLINES AND DISASTER NUMBERS
The deadlines to register with FEMA for disaster
assistance for presently open disasters, and the disaster numbers (DR) for
those disasters, are:
Katrina in Louisiana,
1603, March 1, 2006
Katrina in Mississippi, 1604, January 11, 2006
Katrina in Alabama, 1605, January 11, 2006
Rita in Texas, 1606, January 11, 2006
Rita in Louisiana, 1607, March 1, 2006
Wilma in Florida, 1609, January 5, 2006
Severe storms and flooding in New Hampshire, 1610,
December 27, 2005
Tornadoes and severe storms in Indiana, 1612,
January 7, 2006
Severe storms and flooding in Massachusetts,
1614, January 9, 2006
Severe storms and tornadoes in Kentucky, 1617,
January 30, 2006
THIRTEEN FLORIDA COUNTIES DESIGNATED FOR WILMA
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE
The initial disaster declaration for Hurricane
Wilma in
Please note that posting of designated counties on
the FEMA website may slightly lag the designation decisions.
GENERATOR REIMBURSEMENT
Generator reimbursement policy is set in coordination
with each state for each disaster. In general, if you are a resident of a
county declared for Individual Assistance, you will be considered for
reimbursement of a generator purchase that was made on or after the onset of
the hurricane and was required because you lost power. You will need a
receipt that includes the date of purchase, the price paid, and the name and
contact address or telephone number for the store or vendor, and that specifies
that a generator was purchased. To be considered for reimbursement of
your generator purchase, you must first register for FEMA assistance as
discussed below.
Reimbursement for the purchase of a chain saw
needed to clear access to property or fallen trees from a residence is handled
similarly.
The eligible purchase period for generator and
chain saw purchases resulting from DR-1609, Hurricane Wilma in
The eligible purchase period for generator purchases
resulting from DR-1603, Hurricane Katrina in
EXPEDITED ASSISTANCE
Expedited assistance is an extraordinary program
not available for most disasters.
During the first several weeks after Hurricane
Katrina and after Hurricane Rita , FEMA awarded $2,000 in expedited assistance
to eligible applicants for those disasters who were forced from their homes by
disaster damage or mandatory evacuation and could not immediately return, so
needed shelter elsewhere. This program was not available to persons who
were able to remain in, or immediately return to, their homes, even though some
damage was sustained.
This program has now terminated in favor of the
three-month transitional housing assistance program that provides eligible
applicants with three months of rental assistance and refers ineligible
applicants to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for possible
participation in its housing voucher program.
When received, expedited assistance may be used
for any emergency purpose, such as food, gasoline, clothing, personal care
products and shelter. Expedited assistance is a grant, not a loan.
It does not have to be repaid unless it was obtained improperly.
Expedited assistance is NOT available in
connection with Hurricane Wilma.
CONTACTING FEMA
If you have applied for assistance and are
contacting FEMA in any manner (telephone, fax, letter, e-mail, visit to
Helpline telephone: (800) 621-3362
Fax: (800) 827-8112
Postal mail: FEMA,
E-mail: FEMA-Correspondence-Unit@dhs.gov
LANDLORDS AND BUSINESSSES DOING BUSINESS WITH
FEMA APPLICANTS
FEMA does NOT make direct payments on behalf of
applicants to landlords, medical care providers, pharmacies or any other
businesses or professionals. Applicants MAY be eligible for FEMA
assistance to pay rental, medical and other disaster-related costs.
However, any benefits will go from FEMA to the applicant, who then is
responsible for paying his or her obligations. Applicants, businesses and
professionals should know that an applicant’s FEMA registration number by
itself is no guarantee of benefits. Applicants found eligible for
benefits receive written notification. Their benefit payments are
disbursed by electronic funds transfer to the applicant’s bank account, or by
Treasury check sent via the U.S. Postal Service to the applicant’s current mailing
address. Other organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, may handle their programs
differently.
DEBRIS PICKUP
Pickup of storm debris is a local function.
Contact your local sanitation department or office of emergency management for
information.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Many questions are answered at http://www.fema.gov for all disasters, or at http://www.katrinarecovery.disasterhelp.gov/ and links from that site for programs specific to
Hurricane Katrina or Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These include:
How to Get Help. Response and recovery information for victims -
individuals and businesses. Links to government benefits, services, education
and shelter. Information for federal and military employees. http://www.fema.gov/press/2005/resources_katrina.shtm.
Donate and Volunteer. Sources for people to donate money and search for
volunteer opportunities - make resources available. Please note that the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now has more than 33,000 medical
volunteers and is not seeking more. http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
Finding Loved Ones and Information. Finding loved ones and information on replacing records (drivers'
licenses, passports), telephone hotlines and frequently asked questions on
effects and aftermath of hurricane. http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery.shtml
Health and Safety. Links to information about health, water, food, worker
safety. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp
What Government is Doing. Overall view of what government agencies are doing and
links to their main hurricane response pages. http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/katrina.htm.
En Español. Enlaces a información en español sobre salud, seguridad y
cómo solicitar asistencia. http://www.firstgov.gov/Espanol/Topics/Desastres.shtml.
For State or local information, you may contact
the following websites. Please note that State and local officials
administer pre-hurricane evacuation, including traffic control, and
post-hurricane access to damaged areas, including road openings and check
points.
Florida Division of
Emergency Management, http://www.floridadisaster.org/.
Links to
Texas Highway Patrol
regarding highway conditions and road closings, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/rita_index.htm and (800) 452-9292.
State of Texas Division
of Emergency Management, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/.
Texas Department of
Public Safety Communication Centers (41 locations), http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/comm_centers.htm
State of
Directory of Parish
offices of emergency management, http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/parish/parishoepnumbers.htm.
Louisiana State Police, http://www.lsp.org/emergency.html#road.
Mississippi Emergency
Management Agency. http://www.msema.org/index.htm.
Directory of County
emergency management agencies,
http://www.msema.org/documents/publicEMAlist.rtf
Road conditions, http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/roadmap?OpenForm.
General news and
information, http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/.
Alabama Emergency
Management, http://www.ema.alabama.gov/.
General news and
information, http://www.al.com/.
Indiana State Emergency Management Agency, http://www.ai.org/sema/index.html
Governor’s Office of
Emergency Management, http://www.nhoem.state.nh.us/
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, http://www.state.ma.us/mema
Kentucky Emergency Management, http://kyem.dma.ky.gov
Following are the answers to frequently asked
questions, grouped as follows:
INFORMATION FOR
INDIVIDUAL DISASTER VICTIMS
INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE OR BUSINESSES
OFFERING HOUSING
INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES
INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUAL DISASTER VICTIMS
WHO CAN REGISTER FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE?
We cannot tell you prior to your registration or
prior to a disaster declaration what disaster assistance, if any, you may be
eligible to receive. Some forms of assistance vary by disaster, and some
are determined in coordination with the State. In addition, not all
counties or parishes in a State are necessarily designated for Individual
Assistance in a disaster declaration. In some disasters, additional
counties or parishes are designated for Individual Assistance some time after
the initial disaster declaration is issued.
If you are not certain whether your county or
parish has been designated for Individual Assistance, you may go to http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema, find your State and disaster, then click on the
<Designated Counties> box on the far right. Please note that not
all counties designated for Public Assistance are designated for Individual
Assistance, and that some counties are added to the Individual Assistance list
after the initial declaration.
If your county or parish is designated for
Individual Assistance, you are eligible to register. If it is not designated, please continue to check
our website. Preliminary damage estimating is ongoing after a disaster,
and additional counties or parishes may be subsequently added.
If you registered for one disaster and then
sustained new losses in another disaster, register again. Each disaster
requires a separate registration, and you will receive a separate registration
number.
In the aftermath of a Federally-declared disaster,
FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides assistance to people
in the
An applicant must be a
HOW TO REGISTER
You may register for FEMA assistance online at http://www.fema.gov/register.shtm. If you have difficulty completing your online
application, please call our Technical Helpdesk at (800) 745-0243. If you
prefer to register by telephone, please call our Registration Intake line at
(800) 621-3362. The phone lines are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until
further notice. Please have your Social Security number available, as
well as a mailing address and telephone number where you can be reached
currently.
AFTER YOU REGISTER
FEMA will send you one or more letters concerning
your case. These will be mailed to the current address you
provided. If your address changes, let FEMA know right away either by
updating your information online at http://www.fema.gov or by telephoning our Helpline at (800) 6213362.
You may be asked to submit additional information, such as receipts or other
documentation. Fax these materials, along with your name, disaster number
and FEMA registration number, to (800) 8278112 or mail them to FEMA, Post
Office Box 10055, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782-7055.
If you are eligible for funds, they will be
deposited electronically to your bank account if you provided information for
electronic funds transfer. Otherwise, a Treasury check will be mailed to
the current address you provided. Again, notify FEMA right away if your
address changes.
Please note that assistance from FEMA is not
subject to Federal income tax and need not be repaid unless it was improperly
obtained.
LEARNING ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE
ARE AVAILABLE
To learn more about FEMA programs available to
eligible individuals, and the disaster assistance process, please visit: http://www.fema.gov/rrr/inassist.shtm.
FEMA’s Federal partner, the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA), offers low interest loans to financially qualified
individuals and businesses to help with expenses not covered by state or local
disaster relief programs, or private insurance. In order to be considered
for a low-interest SBA disaster loan, applicants must first register for FEMA
assistance. Homeowners can apply for SBA loans to repair or replace
damaged real property. Both homeowners and renters can apply for an SBA
loan to replace personal property. For more information on SBA loans,
please see http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/loaninfo/property.html. For information on the status of your SBA
application or for other questions, you may telephone (800) 659-2955.
GENERATOR REIMBURSEMENT
Generator reimbursement policy is set in
coordination with each state for each disaster. In general, if you are a
resident of a county declared for Individual Assistance, you will be considered
for reimbursement of a generator purchase that was made on or after the onset
of the hurricane and was required because you lost power. You will need a
receipt that includes the date of purchase, the price paid, and the name and
contact address or telephone number for the store or vendor, and that specifies
that a generator was purchased. To be considered for reimbursement of
your generator purchase, you must first register for FEMA assistance as noted
above.
EVACUATION EXPENSES
You may be eligible for your evacuation lodging
expenses for up to 30 days if your primary residence sustained damages such
that you cannot live there until repairs are made. Even if your
evacuation was mandatory, however, FEMA does not reimburse if your primary
residence is not damaged to the extent that you cannot return. Food,
gasoline and other miscellaneous evacuation expenses other than lodging are not
reimbursable, regardless of whether your home is damaged.
PRESCRIPTIONS
Hurricane Katrina evacuees can go to any Wal-Mart,
CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s or Krogers pharmacy in the United States to have
their prescriptions refilled free of charge based on victims’ emergency
need. This service is available if the medication is life-sustaining and
the victim is an evacuee. Disaster victims should bring an old
prescription bottle, if available, and must have proof of their damaged
dwelling address.
CRISIS COUNSELING
You
may call (800) 273-8255) to be connected to a network of local crisis centers
across the country. You will receive counseling from trained staff at the
closest certified crisis center in the network. You can call at any time from
anywhere in the nation to talk to a trained worker who will listen to you and
assist you in getting the help you need. You will be provided with immediate
access to local resources, referrals and expertise. This service is provided
through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS
The U.S. Postal Service has established temporary
locations for Social Security check distribution for Hurricane Katrina
victims: http://www.ssa.gov/emergency/usps.htm.
BANKING INFORMATION
Please view the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC) website at www.fdic.gov for
banking information in the affected areas. If you have questions, you may
call 1-877-ASK-FDIC.
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
Individuals who lost work as a result of the
disaster in the impacted areas and at evacuation sites may call the U.S.
Department of Labor at (866)-487-2365 for information on registering for
unemployment insurance and disaster unemployment assistance.
Self-employed persons may be eligible for disaster unemployment.
FINDING A JOB AFTER A DISASTER
FEMA does not act as an employment agency or
job-matching service, but you may find helpful information on one or more of
the following websites:
ALABAMA JobLink, a
service of the State of
FLORIDA Workforce
Innovation, a service of the State of
LOUISIANA Works, a
service of the State of
TEXAS Workforce, a
service of the State of
Hurricane Recovery Job
Connection, an affiliate of
KatrinaJobs.com, free to
users, privately operated site, http://www.katrinajobs.com/.
RestaurantJobsforYou.org,
free to users, privately operated site, http://www.restaurantjobsforyou.org/.
Hurricane Katrina Jobs
and Misc Info, links to job sites, privately operated site, http://jobinfo.freeyellow.com/katrinahelp.html.
TAX ASSISTANCE
The Internal Revenue Service has established a
separate toll-free telephone number at (866) 5625227 for use only by
taxpayers affected by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita who need help with
tax matters. The line is open Monday through Friday from
HOME MORTGAGES
Many mortgage lenders have implemented payment
deferment policies for hurricane victims. In most cases, homeowners must
contact their lender to activate these deferments. A list of Katrina
hotlines for many lenders is available at http://www.acornhousing.org/TEXT/katrinalenders.pdf.
PETS AND ANIMALS
For pets needing rescue, call (800) HUMANE-1 or
(888) 259-5431.
To find your lost pet, please go to www.petfinder.com. Also, contact local chapters of the Humane Society or
ASPCA. Many pets from
To find pets that have been rescued in
To locate shelters where your animal may be
housed, please access a list of shelters at http://www.wwoz.org/animals.php.
More information is available from the Humane
Society and the ASPCA’s Frequently Asked Questions site at www.hsus.org and http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hurricane_faq.
FRAUD
FEMA takes fraud claims very seriously and
investigates thoroughly. If you are aware of fraudulent claims, waste, or
abuse of FEMA disaster assistance, you may telephone the Hurricane Relief Fraud
Hotline at (866) 720-5721, which is answered during business hours. In
addition to the phone Hotline, you may report suspected fraud by fax to (703)
605-8567 or by email to katrinafraud@DODIG.mil.
When making a report:, convey as much detail as
possible, such as: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Please understand
that it is impossible to investigate non-specific allegations.
Complaints may be made anonymously or you may request
confidentiality. Please note that if you elect to submit your complaint
via Internet e-mail, you must waive confidentiality due to the non-secure
nature of Internet electronic mail systems.
PRICE GOUGING
You may report specific instances of price gouging
to your State authorities.
INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE OR BUSINESSES
OFFERING HOUSING
INDIVIDUAL OFFERS OF HOUSING
We appreciate your kindness in opening your home
to a victim of a hurricane. At this time, FEMA has no provision to
reimburse you for any additional household expenses you may incur through your
act of generosity. However, please encourage your guests to apply for
FEMA assistance as soon as possible.
People hosting evacuees may wish to make their
guests aware of a special U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Stamp program for
evacuees discussed above.
FEMA is a partner with the Disaster Housing
Resources online host-evacuee housing match service at http://www.dhronline.org/index.cfm. You may list your offering there by clicking on the
“List a Property” tab.
Although FEMA does not endorse specific private
websites, the following are among those listing evacuee housing offers and/or
requests:
www.nola.com/forums/homesavailable
www.adoptastormfamily.com
www.craigslist.org
www.hurricanehousing.org
www.homeflood.org
www.katrinahousing.org
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
www.MyFamilyCanHelp.com
Although we have received numerous offers from
people wishing to sell FEMA travel trailers, mobile homes or houses, FEMA does
not make such acquisitions individually.
LANDLORDS WITH OR CONSIDERING EVACUEES AS
TENANTS
The Department of Homeland Security announced on
September 23 a program of expedited housing assistance to hurricane evacuees
through FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
You may view the press release on this program online at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4848.
FEMA does not make payments to landlords renting
to evacuees. Evacuees may be eligible for initial emergency assistance
and then for rental assistance. However, those funds are paid to the
individual, not to the landlord. Rental assistance paid to FEMA
applicants is based on fair market rental rates in each county or parish, which
may be different from any particular landlord’s rental rate. The Privacy
Act of 1974 prohibits FEMA from providing landlords with information about an
applicant’s benefits unless the applicant provides us with written permission
to disclose such information, or the applicant, accompanied by the landlord,
telephones the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362, verifies his or her identity,
and then requests the Helpline staffer to confirm the applicant’s status to the
landlord over the telephone.
Additional financial assistance to evacuees
seeking housing may be available from charitable organizations in some
localities. Some charitable organizations working with FEMA may contract
with property owners for apartments to house evacuees. Any FEMA financial
assistance to such efforts goes to the charitable organization, not directly to
the property owner.
HOME SELLERS, REALTORS OR LENDERS INVOLVED IN
SALES TO EVACUEES
For information on mortgage assistance for
hurricane evacuees and other hurricane-related property financing, please visit
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Katrina Resource webpage
and its links at http://www.hud.gov/katrina/index.cfm
INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES
ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESSES DAMAGED BY THE
HURRICANE
The Nation’s primary disaster relief resource for
businesses is the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan
program. The SBA offers low-interest loans to both individuals and
businesses. For more information, please view SBA’s website at http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/index.html, or call the SBA at (800) 659-2955.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS PROVIDING TREATMENT TO
EVACUEES
Those patients who are individual hurricane
victims are potentially eligible for reimbursement of their medical costs under
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. Such grants would be paid by FEMA
to the patient so that the patients could pay their bills to your
providers. FEMA does not pay providers directly. Patients should
register with FEMA by calling (800) 621-3362 or going online to http://www.fema.gov.
If they have already registered and did not mention their medical costs,
they should contact FEMA’s helpline at the same telephone number and report
those costs. Those with medical insurance must file with their insurer
and then submit their insurer’s settlement or denial letter to FEMA, as FEMA is
not permitted under law to duplicate benefits.
Any patients who were disaster responders (e.g.,
firefighters, police officers, etc.) should submit your bills through their
chain of command.
If your hospital is a member of the National
Disaster Medical System and any of these patients were brought in for treatment
by NDMS (e.g., NDMS airlift from a disaster site), NDMS reimbursement
procedures should be followed.
BUSINESS HIRING OF EVACUEES
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and
Training Administration (ETA) is taking calls from businesses that wish to
offer jobs to hurricane evacuees. Contact Jennifer McNelly in ETA’s
Business Relations office at 202-693-3949 or at McNelly.Jennifer@DOL.gov.
BUSINESS OFFERINGS TO STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS
Most purchases of disaster recovery services and
products are made by local and State governments. You may check the
emergency management or other appropriate websites of the affected states for
latest information as follows:
You also may contact County offices of emergency
management to offer your services, including clean-up services. Some
governments contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for clean-up
work. You may check the Corps website at http://www.usace.army.mil for information about their contracting and subcontracting
opportunities.
BUSINESS OFFERINGS TO FEMA
FEMA acquires the services of independent
contractors in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, through
sealed bidding or negotiations. FEMA also accepts unsolicited proposals
for products and services. You may call FEMA’s acquisition voice message
system at (202) 646-4006 for more information concerning business
solicitations. The Department of Homeland Security, FEMA’s parent
organization, has extensive disaster and other contracting information online
at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=37. A summary about doing business with FEMA also is
available at http://www.fema.gov/ofm/business.shtm.
FEMA announced on
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL AND MINORITY-OWNED
BUSINESSES
FEMA locates qualified small businesses through
the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Pro-net. You may register with
Pro-Net on the SBA’s website, http://ww.sba.gov.
Additional information about FEMA’s initiatives with small business is at http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19518.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has established a
centralized hurricane information center to help small and minority-owned
businesses navigate the often-complex federal contracting bureaucracy.
The center, which can be contacted at http://www.RebuildingtheGulfCoast.gov or (888) 487-2362, will not award contracts; it will only
answer questions and register businesses for contracting opportunities.
Sincerely,
Correspondence Unit
Recovery Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency