Hurricane Helene Resources

Tuesday, October 1, 2024:

On September 30, following Sen. Ossoff and Georgia’s Congressional Delegation request, President Biden approved the State of Georgia’s Major Disaster Declaration Request, which unlocks Federal disaster support for individuals, local governments, and more.

Please find below available Federal resources and programs.

1. FEMA INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE:

After the President approved Georgia’s Major Disaster Declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Individual Assistance (IA) program is now available for individuals in approved Counties. For more questions or assistance, please visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Hotline at 1-800-621-3362. You may also download the FEMA app here to submit your application. 

PLEASE NOTE: Families, individuals, or businesses with insurance should file claims with your insurance company as soon as possible. By law, FEMA can’t provide benefits for losses covered by your insurance.

However, you may still qualify for Individual Assistance, even if you have insurance.

How to Apply: 

1. Check Eligibility: Visit disasterassistance.gov and click “let’s get started” on the homepage to check if you are eligible. 
2. Gather Personal Information: You’ll need to have as much of the following info ready as you can: Home, mailing, and email addresses; phone number; Social Security number (SSN); banking and insurance info. 
3. Fill Out the Application: Enter as much detail as you can. You can go back to your account later to enter anything you don’t have handy now. 
4. Review & Submit: Check what you’ve entered, make changes if you need to, and send your application to FEMA. Remember to save and keep your Application ID. You’ll need it anytime you talk with FEMA. 

How FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program Works: 

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program offers Federal funding for individuals impacted by natural disasters, including for those who incur housing costs, food costs, and for other vital supplies. This may include: 

• Rental Assistance: Money you can use to rent housing if you are displaced from your home because of the disaster. 

• Lodging Expense Reimbursement: Money to reimburse you for emergency lodging expenses, such as hotel or motel, if you are displaced from your home because of the disaster. 

• Home Repair or Replacement: Money to help you repair or replace your home damaged by the disaster. The money can also help with pre-existing damage to parts of your home where the disaster caused further damage. 

• Accessibility Needs: Money to help survivors with a disability with specific repairs to make sure their home is accessible, such as exterior ramp, grab bars, and paved path to the home entrance 

• Immediate Needs: Money to help you pay for immediate needs such as water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, breastfeeding equipment, diapers, personal hygiene items and fuels for transportation. 

• Displacement: Money to help with immediate housing needs if you cannot return to your home because of the disaster. The money can be used to stay in a hotel, with family and friends or other options while you look for a rental unit. 

• Personal Property: Money to help you repair or replace appliances, room furnishings, and a personal or family computer damaged by the disaster. This can also include money for books, uniforms, tools, additional computers and other items required for school or work, including self-employment. 

• Medical/Dental: Money to help you pay for expenses because the disaster caused an injury or illness. This money can also be used to help replace medical/dental equipment, breastfeeding equipment, or prescribed medicine damaged or lost because of the disaster. 

• Childcare: Money to help you pay for increased or unplanned for childcare expenses caused by the disaster.

• Transportation: Money to help you repair or replace a vehicle damaged by the disaster when you don’t have another vehicle you can use. 

• Moving and Storage Expenses: Money to help you move and store personal property from your home to prevent additional damage, usually while you are making repairs to your home or moving to a new place due to the disaster. 

What Happens After You Apply: 

1. FEMA Reviews Your Application: If FEMA can’t qualify you based on your application alone, they may request more info or to inspect your home. 
2. Check Your Email: FEMA will email you when you have messages on your account. 
3. Check Your Status: You can sign in to your account at any time to check the status of your application. 
4. Get Payment: If you qualify, FEMA will send a payment using the method you choose, either through direct deposit or a check my mail. 

2. FEMA PUBLIC ASSISTANCE:

After the President approved Georgia’s Major Disaster Declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Public Assistance program is now available for approved counties. For more questions or assistance, please visit fema.gov/assistance/public.

How FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Works: 

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, and certain types of private non-profits, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. 

After an event like a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or wildfire, communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure. 

There are 4 components of Public Assistance eligibility: 

1. An applicant must be a state, territory, tribe, local government, or certain type of private nonprofit organization. 
2. A facility must be a building, public works system, equipment, or improved and maintained natural feature. 
3. Work is categorized as either “emergency” or “permanent.” It must be required as a result of the declared incident, located within the designated disaster area, and is the legal responsibility of the eligible Applicant. 
4. Costs are expenses tied directly to eligible work, and must be adequately documented, authorized, necessary and reasonable. Eligible costs include labor, equipment, materials, contract work, and management costs. 

There are 7 eligible types of work (please check which has been approved for your County): 

• Emergency Work (must be completed within 6 months): 
  • Category A: Debris removal
  • Category B: Emergency protective measures 
• Permanent Work (must be completed within 18 months):
  • Category C: Roads and bridges
  • Category D: Water control facilities
  • Category E: Public buildings and equipment
  • Category F: Public utilities
  • Category G: Parks, recreational, and other facilities

How to Apply: 

When ready to apply, applicants should use the Public Assistance Grants Portal to account for all activities associated with their damage claims. 

Applicants can use the Grants Portal to: 

• Register for and update an applicant profile 

• Submit a “Request for Public Assistance” 

• Upload project documentation

3. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RESOURCES:

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, USDA staff is available to assist.

Documenting Loss

• USDA encourages farmers and growers to document damages and losses your operation has sustained as best you can, including gathering farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses.
• Livestock producers are advised to document livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures of injury or loss, to the extent possible.
• Per USDA guidance, these are extremely extenuating and stressful circumstances and there may be instances where documentation is lost, destroyed or unattainable.
• Regardless, please contact USDA for assistance.

Reporting Loss

• Once you are able to safely evaluate the impact on your operation, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office or your crop insurance agent to report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses.
• For producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance, the USDA Risk Management Agency has authorized Approved Insurance Providers to provide flexibility on reporting requirements for those who are unable to report losses due the disaster.

Available Assistance

• Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses.
• Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.
• The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources.
• Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes.

Disaster Recovery Programs: Flexibilities and Waivers

• USDA has issued program delivery flexibilities and waivers.
• The information below describes some of the current program flexibilities and waivers, as of Oct. 3, 2024, available for producers impacted by Hurricane Helene. To learn about benefits available through USDA recovery programs including those listed below, please view the  Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet.

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP):

• Extended ECP and EFRP signup that begins Oct. 15, 2024, and runs through June 1, 2025, in states affected by Hurricane Helene.
• Waiver of onsite inspection requirement for non-engineering practices for ECP and EFRP.
• Executed Emergency Response (ER-850) authorization of emergency National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) circumstances to expedite FSA approval of practices involving surface debris removal, fence restoration, and non-ground disturbing activities.

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP):

• Guidance to FSA County Committees and local staff to exercise maximum flexibility in determining acceptable loss documentation and to ensure LIP applications are acted on timely.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP):

• Assistance to help cover above normal costs to transport livestock to feed and/or transport feed/forage to livestock in hurricane-impacted states.
• Assistance to help cover above normal costs to haul water to livestock in hurricane-impacted states.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP):

• Extension of TAP assistance to trees/bushes/vines that have not died but are no longer capable of production (not economically viable).

Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP):

• Waiver of 72-hour notification requirement on hand harvested crops.
• Extended deadline to file a Notice of Loss with FSA.
• Flexibility for FSA staff to perform loss adjustment activities and/or waive field inspections in cases where the cause of loss can be verified through other means.

Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL):

• Additional time for producers to deliver commodities to a buyer to repay MALs with sale proceeds.
• Postponement of MAL foreclosure letters applicable to losses or damages due to hurricanes for up to 90 calendar days.

To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.

USDA has resources available through the FSA call center at 877-508-8364, the USDA hotline at 833-ONE-USDA (663-8732), or producers can access program information online at farmers.gov.

4. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA) LOANS:

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers disaster assistance for homeowners, renters, nonprofits, and businesses of all sizes affected by Hurricane Helene in approved counties. For more questions or assistance, please visit sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance 

Types of Disaster Loans Available (please click on the name of the following programs to find more specific information): 

1. Home Disaster Loans: Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles.  
2. Business Physical Disaster Loans: Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private, non-profit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities, etc., are also eligible. 
3. Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period. 

How to Apply? 

• Apply Online: Those eligible should click here to apply online for an SBA disaster assistance loan. SBA will send an inspector to estimate the cost of damage, once your application is completed and submitted. 

• More Assistance: Those seeking more assistance should contact the SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by phone at 800-659-2955, or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 

5. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS) TAXPAYER RELIEF:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically provide administrative disaster tax relief and special tax law provisions that grant additional time for individuals and businesses to file returns, pay taxes, and perform certain other time-sensitive acts to taxpayers affected by a federally declared disaster. Some circumstances may apply. 

The administrative disaster tax relief includes the postponement of filing and payment deadlines for eligible taxpayers and is based on preliminary damage assessments by FEMA.  

For current tax relief provisions search Tax relief in disaster situations and visit Around the nation for IRS disaster relief news releases specific to states affected by disasters. 

Who are affected taxpayers? 

• Individuals whose principal residence is located in a covered disaster area and their spouse, if filing jointly. 

• Business entities or sole proprietors whose principal place of business is located in a covered disaster area. 

• Relief workers affiliated with government or philanthropic organizations assisting in a covered disaster area. 

• Any individual visiting a covered disaster area who was killed or injured as a result of the disaster, or any other person determined by the IRS to be affected by a federally declared disaster. 

You can get free telephone assistance and local solutions to tax problems at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center near your area, just call for an in-person appointment. Free tax assistance is also available at the Let us help you page. 

6. PREVENTING PRICE GOUGING

To report suspected price gouging or fraud, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123 (toll-free in Georgia).

Consumers can also submit a complaint online here.