Several families are suffering the 4-days storm here in Los Angeles. After a disaster, homeowners and residents can find relief at different levels. This post will show you the best help after you have been the victim of a disaster including unemployment assistance, special home loans, and disaster tax relief.
Individual Assistance
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security that helps people before, during, and after disasters. To find out if you qualify for disaster relief, please use the address lookup on DisasterAssistance.gov.
After indicating your zip code, FEMA will show you the declared counties and the declared disasters they are helping. After completing the online questionnaire about your needs and the damages over your property, you complete disaster assistance application. Then FEMA will provide you with information and support.
Alternative ways to communicate with FEMA are by calling at
1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7585) or by finding a Disaster Recovery Center near you with the Disaster Recovery Center locator.
Mortgages for Homeowners Rebuilding After a Disaster
The HUD, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Section 203(h) Program allows the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure mortgages made by qualified lenders to victims of a major disaster who have lost their homes and are in the process of rebuilding or buying another home.
Individuals are eligible if their homes are located in an area that was designated by the President as a disaster area and if their homes were destroyed or damaged to such an extent that reconstruction or replacement is necessary. Insured loans may be used to finance the purchase or reconstruction of a one-family home that will be the principal residence of the homeowner. You can find more information here.
Disaster Recovery Loan
The SBA, US Small Business Administration, offers disaster assistance in the form of low-interest loans to businesses, renters, and homeowners located in regions affected by declared disasters.
Loans to cover repairs and replacement of physical assets damaged, and small business operating expenses in a declared disaster. If your insurance, and funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), doesn’t fully cover the disaster assistance you need, you can use disaster loans for a number of purposes.
To find out if you can get a disaster recovery loan you can apply online in this link https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/
Tax Relief After a Disaster
You can get tax relives in the federal and county levels.
At the Federal level, special tax law provisions may help taxpayers and businesses recover financially from the impact of a disaster, especially when the federal government declares their location to be a major disaster area. Depending on the circumstances, the IRS may grant additional time to file returns and pay taxes. Both individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area can get a faster refund by claiming losses related to the disaster on the tax return for the previous year, usually by filing an amended return. Find the complete IRS guidance for disaster-affected individual and business taxpayers.
At the County level, you may be eligible for tax relief if your property is damaged or destroyed by a calamity, such as fire or flooding. To qualify, you must file an Application for Reassessment: Property Damaged or Destroyed by Misfortune or Calamity with the Assessor’s Office within 12 months from the date the property was damaged or destroyed. The loss must exceed $10,000 of current market value. To contact the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor you can call (213) 974.8658 and find the Reassessment of Property Damaged or Destroyed by Misfortune or Calamity application online here.
Additional Relieves
Food Relief – You can get short-term financial help for your family’s food following a disaster. If the president authorizes individual disaster assistance for your area, you may qualify for D-SNAP, Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance. D-SNAP provides one month’s worth of benefits on a debit-type card that you can use at most grocery stores. Find more information here.
Help with Utility Bills – If you can’t afford to heat or cool your home after a disaster, you may qualify for emergency help with utility bills. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) may be able to provide disaster relief funding so you can pay to reconnect utilities, pay utility bills, repair or replace your furnace and air conditioners, repair home insulation, buy coats and blankets, buy fans and generators, among others. Find more information here.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance – Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits. You can find more information here.
Source: Financial Assistance After a Disaster https://www.usa.gov/disaster-financial-help