FEMA says they’ve seen a number of storm victims have their claims for assistance denied because they’re applying under the wrong disaster. The state has been hit by three different disasters since February.
Spokesperson Nicole Wilson says the agency has noticed applications from areas hit by April’s floods are asking for relief from May’s tornadoes, and vice versa.
“It'll kick it out and say this application is not approved because the person who's applying lives in a county that is not declared,” she said.
Wilson says victims should look over their application carefully to make sure they applied for the right disaster they can receive aid for.
She says there’s some overlap on the two disasters’ timeframes, which may have caused confusion.
“What we are seeing is that some people, when they go to apply online, they see that May 16 date, and they apply for the May 16 and 17 tornadoes when they probably should have applied for the April 2 to May 16 storms,” Wilson said. "It's an honest accident."
April’s storms are labeled under disaster number 4864. May’s tornadoes are labeled under 4875.
Assistance is available at local FEMA disaster recovery centers. Victims can also apply online, over the phone at 800-621-3362 or through the mobile app.
Those who applied for assistance could be getting calls from the agency to help the application process along.
Wilson says the agency usually calls three times before stopping. The application process could stall afterwards.
“Sometimes it's just that we need to schedule a home inspection,” she said. “Sometimes we may need more information to keep your application moving forward. So it is very important that you return the call.”
Wilson says to call the FEMA helpline if you’re unsure whether the phone calls are real or not.
The deadline for April flood victims to apply for assistance is July 25. The deadline for tornado victims to apply is July 23.
