The Federal Emergency Management Agency is known as FEMA. It is responsible for the coordination of the federal government’s involvement in disaster preparation, prevention, and relief.
A significant portion of FEMA’s responsibilities involves assisting individuals in their recovery from disasters. FEMA provides federal grants to victims to assist with temporary lodging, emergency home repairs, personal property loss, funeral and medical expenses, and other related expenses.
Deadline Approaching
South Dakotans who have been affected by the severe cyclones of this summer in Davison, Lincoln, Turner, and Union counties have two weeks remaining to submit an application for federal disaster assistance.
The deadline is October 15, 2024.
Apply for Disaster Assistance
- Visit the Disaster Recovery Center. For a list of Disaster Recovery Centers in your area, visit www.fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and your zip code to 43362.
- Please visit DisasterAssistance.gov for English or DisasterAssistance.gov/es for Spanish online.
- Use the FEMA mobile application in either English or Spanish.
- Contact the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362 at any time between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice. Operators who are proficient in multiple languages are accessible. Mornings and evenings are more likely to have shorter wait periods. FEMA may obtain the service’s telephone number from any individual who utilizes a relay service, including video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or other similar services.
Update on Disaster Recovery
Federal agencies have approved $12,866,243.04 in grants and loans to aid in recovery since President Biden’s major disaster declaration for South Dakota on August 15 (as of Sept. 29).
FEMA has received applications for assistance from 1,310 individuals in Davison, Lincoln, Turner, and Union counties. The Individuals and Households program has been approved by FEMA for a total of $8,255,543.04.
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This amount is divided between $5,617,087.97 in Housing Assistance for home repairs and rental expenses and $2,638,455.07 in Other Needs Assistance for the repair or replacement of personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, moving expenses, and other disaster-related needs.
Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has authorized $4,610,700 in low-interest disaster financing for small businesses, renters, and homeowners.
Keep Updated with FEMA
You must maintain contact with FEMA and maintain your contact information if you have already applied for disaster assistance. To process your assistance or ascertain your eligibility, FEMA may require additional information from you. Please be advised that communications from FEMA may originate from an unknown number on your caller ID.