How to Gain Public Assistance When Disaster Strikes

• Author: Monica Jackson
• Posted: 2024-07-15

In the 21st century, the people of Earth have seen a rise in natural and manmade disasters. The world is slowly changing, and the chain of events involving human activity is slowly teaching us a lesson storms becoming stronger, droughts becoming longer, floods becoming more destructive, and so on. With the rise of industrialization, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere multiplied in gargantuan values, resulting to the greenhouse effect which makes our planet warmer. There is also the rumors of wars and other conflicts that add up to the fear of losing everything. There are initiatives and agreements signed by members of the United Nations, but it is not sufficient to stop the threat of stronger and more destructive disasters of the future.

Because of the changes that the planet is experiencing and how disasters are becoming more destructive, the threat of being a disaster victim is also rising. Manmade and natural disasters have so much in common they destroy properties, and they destroy lives. People who managed to survive these disasters are left out with nothing, but there are actually ways on how to get assistance from the government, especially for those who survived a major disaster. After a disaster strikes, a government agency called FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) can be contacted, and the survivor can ask them for help. Survivors can also access their website and choose the kind of assistance that they need. FEMA offers two grants for disaster victims individual resident grants, and another one called the primary resident grants. Individual resident grants are given to those who survived a disaster and the package includes the payment of medical bills, child care, and funeral. It also includes the payment of vehicle related and storage costs, and they also provide essential items to the victims, including hygienic kits and food supplies. Primary resident grants are given to those who survived a presidentially declared disaster but have lost their homes and properties. FEMA can also cover the repairs for property damage that the insurance company does not want to cover.

The procedure to receive these grants after a disaster begins with an individual contacting FEMA either through phone or their website. Within ten days, a representative from FEMA will give the disaster victim a callback, and they will be asking for some questions and they will be advising the caller about their schedule of appointment with a home inspector. After the inspection of damages on the disaster victim's property, the home inspector will create a report and will be sending it back to FEMA. Depending on the result of the inspection, FEMA will give the disaster victim another callback and they will deliver whether the grant is approved or denied. Once approved, FEMA will issue a check or a direct deposit to the disaster victim's bank account. FEMA will also send a letter instructing the disaster victim how to spend the money that was given to them.

Aside from the grants provide by FEMA, there is another government agency that can extend their assistance to disaster victims DisasterAssistance.gov. The group was created with the primary objective of helping out disaster victims in a number of ways. They can work with a local disaster relief agency to help out the survivors. They can also look for permanent shelters, find food distribution programs, and even change a survivor's address for social security and other purposes. Before receiving any grant from either FEMA or DisasterAssistance.gov, an individual must provide basic information and requirements. This will ensure that transparency is present, and it will make the transaction quick and easy. These requirements should be on the hands of the disaster victim the moment they call FEMA or DisasterAssistance.gov. A disaster victim is required to have his or her social security number which displays the name and the birthdate, a copy of insurance, directions to the property, and a telephone number. Once this information is supplied to the appropriate government agency, they will begin processing the assistance claim. With these grants that the government is providing to the people, disaster victims are given a second chance to rebuild and to move on. Disasters cannot be stopped, and people should have plans on how to survive with the help of the government.