Kentuckians Have Until April 25 to Apply for Assistance

FRANKFORT, Ky. – FEMA is reminding the residents of Kentucky who were impacted by the February severe storms to apply for Disaster Assistance before the deadline of Friday, April 25. If applicants received a letter from FEMA and need to appeal, they have 60 days from the date of the letter to do so.

How to Apply for FEMA Assistance

If you live in Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Simpson, or Woodford counties, and haven’t yet applied for FEMA assistance, you may still complete an application.

Remember: the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Friday, April 25.

You can visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to meet face to face with specialists from FEMA to get assistance filling out your application. The Small Business Administration (SBA) and other state and local agencies are also in DRCs to answer questions about disaster assistance and other recovery resources. You may also upload any documents needed for applications at the centers.

If you are unable to visit a DRC, there are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.

When you apply, you will need to provide:

• A current phone number where you can be contacted.
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.
• Your Social Security Number.
• A general list of damage and losses.
• Banking information if you choose direct deposit.
• If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.

What Happens After I Apply?

Once FEMA has reviewed your application and evaluated the results of the inspection and/or documentation submitted, you will get a letter explaining:

• Whether you are approved for assistance.
• How much assistance you will receive.
• How the assistance must be used.
• How to appeal FEMA’s decision if you do not agree with it.

The letter will be sent to you by email or mail based on what you selected when you completed your application. Please read the letter in its entirety. If you were not initially approved for assistance, it may be due to something very simple like an additional document that is needed. If for any reason you do not agree with the initial decision, you can file an appeal. 

For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw.

For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4860. Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x.com/femaregion4.