Applying for Individual Assistance in Minnesota
Bloomington, Minn. – Homeowners, renters and business owners in Blue Earth, Freeborn, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties must register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be eligible for federal disaster assistance for flooding damages and losses in Minnesota.
Disaster survivors may register in any of the following ways:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov;
- On the FEMA Mobile App;
- Calling 800-621-3362 (FEMA);
- Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service should call 800-621-3362;
- People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585;
- The toll-free numbers are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central time, seven days a week;
- Multilingual operators are available.
Survivors should contact their insurance company to file an insurance claim. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, those without insurance or those who are underinsured may be eligible for help.
The following information is needed when registering with FEMA:
- Social Security number;
- Address of the location where the damage occurred;
- Current address;
- Current telephone number;
- Insurance information;
- Total household annual income;
- Routing and account number for your checking or savings account (this allows FEMA to directly transfer disaster assistance funds into your bank account);
- A description of disaster-caused damage and losses.
Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs. Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or benefits from other agencies or organizations.
Survivors who cannot afford to repay an SBA loan may be eligible for additional FEMA assistance, but must submit a loan application before that can be determined.
After registering with FEMA, applicants will be contacted by a FEMA-contracted housing inspector to schedule an appointment to inspect the house and determine the extent of damage. An adult must be present for the inspection. When registering, applicants should provide a contact telephone number where they always can be reached or receive messages.
FEMA assistance is limited to the amount necessary to make the home safe, sanitary and secure for the number of occupants who live there. The cost of repairing additional spaces such as family rooms, dens or extra bedrooms is not considered. Repair cost estimates are based on standard material and construction costs.
The application deadline is January 28, 2017.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 or TTY at 800-462-7585.
If you are Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use TTY call 800-462-7585 to register. For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service, you may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with equipment to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication access. If you require a reasonable accommodations (ASL interpreting, Braille, Large print, etc.) while visiting a Disaster Recovery Center, call 1-800-621-3362 (V/711/VRS) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
