Leonard Zhukovsky just took a look at the latest FEMA individual assistance statistics for the counties in the Austin media market. They show just about $12,152,163 have been obligated to just under 3,750 households.
FEMA’s being able to reach so many people can directly be attributed to YOUR assistance!
- Anyone who hasn’t registered still has until August 27 to register (800-621-3362), and
- If anyone has received a letter from FEMA they should consider it a call-to-action and call back to ask what additional information may be necessary for reconsideration. (Did you provide them with a copy of the letter your homeowner’s or flood insurance agent gave you that said what they were going to pay – or said that they were not going to pay anything at all? FEMA needs that! THAT may be what FEMA is sending you the letter about.)
If you have received some monies from FEMA but feel that you should have received additional funds, remember that FEMA is NOT insurance and they cannot duplicate any benefits provided by your insurance company, which is why they need the letter mentioned above. Additionally, they can only help with BASICS!
Having said that, you CAN file an appeal with FEMA. Details of how to do that can either be obtained by calling the 800# back, going to a Disaster Recovery Center, or looking at the booklet you received after you registered (either in the mail or digitally) entitled, “After the Disaster.” This needs to be done within 60 days of the date of the letter you received from FEMA. If you file an appeal letter with FEMA, make sure you provide FEMA with more details then perhaps you gave the first time; an estimate from a licensed contractor, electrician, mechanic, etc. would be a good addition (making sure that the damages which are storm related are specifically marked as such). Photos are another good addition. While those are no guarantee of any change, they at least provide more information for consideration.