By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–San Diego residents received disaster assistance to help pay for necessities lost due to the Jan. 21-23 severe storm and flooding.
Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and if a survivor’s application is approved as eligible, they may receive a payment. A letter explaining what the payment is to be used for arrives along with the payment.
Eligible disaster survivors receive tax-free federal funds for rental assistance, home repairs, or other categories of assistance. FEMA’s notification letter will inform survivors of the appropriate use of disaster assistance funds. Survivors are expected to use assistance funds only for their intended purpose. Not doing so can compromise future assistance eligibility.
FEMA will send survivors a notification letter informing them of the types of assistance they are eligible to receive and the amount of assistance FEMA provides for each eligible need.
These may include repairs to make a home safe, sanitary, and fit to live in, rental assistance to temporarily pay for a place to stay, repair or replacement of a disaster-damaged essential vehicle, medical care for an injury caused by the disaster, replacing clothing, occupational tools and educational materials, moving and storage expenses related to the disaster, and replacing medical equipment.
Federal law prohibits FEMA from duplicating assistance from other sources such as insurance.
If money is not used as described above, survivors may be asked to repay FEMA and may become ineligible for further federal assistance that could become available.
FEMA advises survivors not to use the funds for travel, entertainment, or any expenses not related to the disaster. They should keep receipts for three years to show how they spent FEMA grants and document how disaster funds were used.
For the latest FEMA information on severe storms and flooding, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4758.
