Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Basics

FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is the US government agency responsible for helping people before, during and after disasters.  FEMA operates under the Department of Homeland Security.  It works alongside local, state, and tribal governments to help people, families, communities, and businesses recover and rebuild after major disasters. 

FEMA gives financial help to communities and people after major disasters. Before FEMA can help, the President must declare a “major disaster” in your area. You can check current disaster declarations at the FEMA website. The FEMA individual assistance program gives financial help to people and households.  The public assistance program gives support to the community and the public. If a major disaster is approved for FEMA individual assistance, you can apply for help in recovering from personal damage from the disaster. 

Once a major disaster has been declared, FEMA will send workers to the area to provide on-site help. Usually, they will set up local FEMA sites where you can come to fill out applications for assistance and connect with other local agencies. 

FEMA provides financial help for you and your household for disaster related expense like

• Food
• Baby supplies
• Home repairs
• Appliances, furniture, and personal belongings
• Temporary housing expenses
• Medical expenses such as medicine, medical equipment, and treatment  
• Funeral costs
• Clean-up supplies and costs

Visit the FEMA assistance for more information.

• Structural damage to a home, like your foundation, walls, and roof.
• Broken windows, doors, damaged floors, and ceilings.
• Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• Utility systems (electric, gas, water, oil, septic).
• Privately owned bridges and roads if they are necessary to access the home. 
• Accessibility features like wheelchair ramps.

FEMA will not usually provide assistance to repair: 

• Garages or basements unless they affect the homes safety or whether it is livable. 
• Detached garages, sheds, and carports. 
• Fencing, landscaping, and swimming pools.
• Porches and decks.
• Hazard mitigation work like new retaining walls that weren’t there before the disaster. 
• Personal property that is not necessary to make your home safe and habitable (e.g., home decorations, entertainment items like gaming consoles, craft and hobby items, home gym equipment, recreational vehicles, or holiday items).  

The President of the United States must declare a major disaster in your area to activate FEMA help. A major disaster is one that causes severe damage in the area to the point that the federal government needs to supplement state and local resources. A major disaster can be natural, man-made or technological. Types of natural disasters are hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, high winds, earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, snowstorms, or any natural event that causes major damage to an area. Types of man-made or technological disasters are explosions, hazardous materials incidents or terrorist attacks.

FEMA assistance is only available for areas with a federal disaster declaration. Visit here to check your area. If there’s no declaration, contact local organizations and officials for help and resources that may be available.   

You will usually have 60 days from the date the President approves a major disaster declaration to file your initial application. If you are past the 60-day application deadline, you will need to submit a request to FEMA for a late application.