Understanding Your FEMA Letter and How to Appeal It
If you applied for FEMA help in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew and you disagree with the decision stated in the letter you received, a quick fix may be all that is needed to change it.
It’s important that you read your letter carefully to understand FEMA’s decision so you will know exactly what you need to do. Many times applicants just need to submit extra documents for FEMA to process their application.
Examples of missing documentation may include an insurance settlement letter, proof of residence, proof of ownership of the damaged property, and proof that the damaged property was your primary residence at the time of the disaster.
If instructed and needed, you can simply submit missing documentation to FEMA online at www.disasterassistance.gov, by mail or fax, or by visiting a Disaster Recovery Center.
There may be more than one reason you disagree with FEMA’s decision. For example, if you feel the amount or type of assistance is incorrect, you may submit an appeal letter and any documents needed to support your claim, such as a contractor’s estimate for home repairs.
If you have insurance, FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments. However, if you’re under-insured you may receive further assistance for unmet needs after insurance claims have been settled.
How to Appeal a FEMA Decision
All appeals must be filed in writing to FEMA. You should explain why you think the decision is incorrect. When submitting your letter, please include:
In addition, your letter must be either notarized, include a copy of a state issued identification card, or include the following statement, “I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.” You must sign the letter.
If someone other than you or the co-applicant is writing the letter, there must be a signed statement from you affirming that the person may act on your behalf. You should keep a copy of your appeal for your records.
To file an appeal, letters must be postmarked, received by fax, or personally submitted at a Disaster Recovery Center within 60 days of the date on the determination letter.
By mail:
FEMA – Individuals & Households Program
National Processing Service Center
P.O. Box 10055
Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055
By fax:
800-827-8112
Attention: FEMA – Individuals & Households Program
You should have received a booklet called “Help after a Disaster.” It explains what you need to provide for your appeal. The booklet is available online at www.fema.gov/help-after-disaster.
If you have any questions about submitting insurance documents, proving occupancy or ownership, or anything else about your letter, you may call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use TTY, call 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, seven days a week, until further notice. You can also visit a North Carolina disaster recovery center and speak with a disaster assistance representative. Locate your closest center by going online to fema.gov/drc or by calling the FEMA Helpline.
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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.
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. Follow FEMA on twitter at@femaregion4. Download the FEMA app with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and after disasters.
Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 to speak with a trained call specialist about questions you have regarding Hurricane Matthew; the service is free, confidential and available in any language. They can help direct you to resources. Call 5-1-1 or 877-511-4662 for the latest road conditions or check the ReadyNC mobile app, which also has real-time shelter and evacuation information. For updates on HurricaneMatthew impacts and relief efforts, go to ReadyNC.org or follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit NCdisasterrelief.org or text NCRecovers to 30306.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailingdisastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.
Duke Energy News: Not Able to Restore Service, Disconnecting Power
Duke Energy Unable to Restore Service in Some Areas
Release date: October 27, 2016
As Wayne County continues to respond to this historical flooding event, the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center wanted to share the following information from Duke Energy.
Duke Energy Progress District Manager Millie M. Chalk stated: “Due to significant damage and flooding resulting from Hurricane Matthew, Duke Energy has been unable to restore service in some areas. We continue to work with local and state officials to make repairs and restore service. For locations too damaged to safely receive power, existing electric meters have been or will be removed to ensure the safety of our customers.”
If you or your business have been displaced by Hurricane Matthew’s flood waters and have questions or need additional information about your Duke Energy account, please contact customer service at 1-800-452-2777.
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Duke Energy to Disconnect Power from Some Temporarily Condemned Homes/Businesses
Release date: October 21, 2016
Duke Energy and the City of Goldsboro believe that 310 of 396 temporarily condemned homes/businesses must have the power disconnected due to liability and safety concerns related to electrical components being under water. In addition, the structures could have mold, mildew, and/or mechanical problems. We have inspected these structures using a licensed electrical contractor and believe them to be unsafe. Power will be disconnected in the near future, for more information on how to restore power, please contact Duke Energy at 1-800-452-2777.
If you have had flood damage or a temporary condemned sign placed on your property you will need to come to the Inspections Department located at 200 N. Center Street, Goldsboro and obtain a Building permit at no charge. This permit will allow you to start the repair process to your home or business. After all repair work has been done and inspections completed, the Inspections Department will remove the condemned sign from the property and the power will be restored.
For additional information, please contact Allen Anderson, Chief Building Inspector for the City of Goldsboro, at 919- 580-4385 or 919-580-4389.
Door hangers are being placed on all homes where power will be disconnected. The City urges residents to check their homes for door hangers and make necessary arrangements if your power will be disconnected.
For those who need temporary lodging, School Street School is available. The school is located in the 500 block of West Elm Street across from Dillard Charter Academy and is the county-run shelter for Hurricane Matthew victims. Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority (GWTA) busses stop twice an hour Monday through Saturday. Additionally, there is a school bus stop for all students in the shelter.
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Releases from Tracie Davis
Joint Marketing/Communications Director for the County of Wayne and City of Goldsboro
919-223- 2293/ Tracie.Davis@waynegov.com
County Waives Certain Fees Relating to Hurricane Matthew and Subsequent Flooding Damage
Release date: October 20, 2016The Wayne County Board of Commissioners unanimously waived the following:
Wayne County Public Schools Hurricane Announcements
Make-Up Time
Since the historical flooding event occurred last week, a number of state elected officials have publically stated that they were working to have missed school days forgiven. In accordance with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s Executive Order No. 110, WCPS will not schedule any make-up days between now and when the General Assembly takes up this issue.
Date Changes for End of First Two Grading Periods (Traditional Academic Calendar)
While no make-up days are being scheduled, WCPS will change the last day of the first grading period (Traditional Academic Calendar only) to November 3. Additionally, the last day of the first semester will now be January 19. The Designated Workday originally scheduled for January 17 has been rescheduled to January 20. These changes were made to more equitably distribute instructional days across grading periods.
Please note: No changes will be made to the non-traditional academic calendars, which include Goldsboro High, Wayne Early/Middle College High, and Wayne School of Engineering. The non-traditional academic calendars are aligned with the Wayne Community College academic calendar, with the first semester for each school scheduled to end before the winter holiday break.
A printable copy of the revised traditional academic calendar is now available on the district website at www.waynecountyschools.org.
Meeting Student Needs
As of this morning, the WCPS transportation department has modified more than 30 bus stops, including a number of neighborhood stops that serve multiple students, as a result of road closures. Additionally, WCPS route managers are working with the WCPS Crisis Team and the Wayne County Department of Social Services to identify students displaced from their homes, in order to create accommodations to get students to their home schools. Approximately 15 WCPS students stayed at the School Street evacuation shelter last night, down from more than 40 staying in Goldsboro evacuation shelters last week. While there was one issue in picking up a handful of students this morning from the shelter, the transportation issues were resolved and now all students there are being bused to and from their home schools.
The WCPS Crisis Team is still working to identify those students who are in need of additional supports. On Tuesday, a Student Needs Hotline and an online Students Needs Survey form on the district website were set up in order for WCPS to identify the needs of those students who have been impacted and/or displaced. Not counting direct calls or parent stop-ins at a school, more than 150 students have been identified through the hotline and online form within 48-hours of being set up. It is worth noting that the majority of students that have been reported have either lost their home to flooding or are living in a home that sustained flood or other storm damage.
“As a district, we have been working since last week to get a grasp of just how many students have been impacted as a result of Hurricane Matthew,” states Dr. Michael Dunsmore, WCPS superintendent. “We have now learned that we have displaced students living as far away as Greensboro, Smithfield, Wilson and Kinston. We anticipate that in the coming days our schools will learn of even more students who are in need of school supplies, clothes, transportation accommodations, or a specialized service from one of our school counselors, psychologists or social workers as a result of what occurred.”
Parents who have not reported concerns to their child’s school can call 919-705-6158 from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. as long as this service is needed. Parents can also go to the district website, www.waynecountyschools.org, to complete the online form.
Donations
In addition to helping connect students and families to reputable charities and organizations for support, WCPS is accepting physical donations that will help students in need of clothes, shoes, school supplies, personal hygiene products, and/or other personal properties lost to flooding. A special WCPS Relief Fund account with BB&T has also been setup for individuals seeking to make a monetary donation in order for schools to directly purchase needed items for students.
Those interested in making a physical donation should contact Carol Artis at 919-705-6166. Gift cards are welcome. Anyone interested in making a monetary donation should direct checks to the WCPS Relief Fund. Checks can be dropped off at the WCPS Administrative Offices on Royall Avenue in Goldsboro or mailed to
Wayne County Public Schools
Attention: WCPS Relief Fund
P.O. Drawer 1797
Goldsboro, N.C. 27533-1797
SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Pitt County
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Pitt County. It will open on Oct. 19 to help businesses impacted by Hurricane Matthew that began on Oct. 4, 2016.
SBA representatives at the Center can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and help businesses in completing the SBA application.
Pitt County
Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Regional Service Center
East Carolina University Willis Building
300 E. 1st Street
Greenville, NC 27858
Opening: Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.
Days Open: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Closed: Sundays
“The SBA is committed to facilitating economic recovery in this disaster. We want area businesses to have a resource where they can meet individually with SBA representatives and find out how a low-interest disaster loan can help them recover,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.
The SBA offers low-interest, long-term disaster loans for physical damage and working capital. To be considered for this assistance, survivors need to apply by the deadline.
Additional information on the disaster loan program may be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Dec. 9, 2016.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 10, 2017.
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For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, go to www.sba.gov/disaster.
