HURRICANE IKE VICTIMS / PEOPLE NEEDING ASSISTANCE
If you have sustained an individual or business loss as a result of Hurricane IKE you might be eligible for US government assistance. YOU HAVE TO REISTER WITH FEMA to receive ant type of assistance. You can register via the phone by calling 1-800-621-3362. I understand that the phone lines are constantly busy during the normal work day. My advice is to try late in the evening or over the weekend. If you have electricity and a PC connected to the internet you can register online by going to www.fema.gov and look in the middle of the page and click on the link "Hurricane IKE Information & Resources". FEMA states that the registration process will take 18-20 minutes of your time to complete. I would allow for 30 minutes as the typical government estimate of time it takes to fill out forms is usually grossly understated.
The information you will need to have available and give to FEMA includes: ( gather in advance)
1) Social Security (SS) number for an individual or Tax ID for a business. The Social Security number is required for identity verification purposes. There are special rules for certain types of individuals. Call FEMA if you are uncertain about the SS number requirement.
2) Insurance information - All insurance information for policies you currently have that are enforced has to be provided. I suggest you find the policy and or the policy summary and have it available.
3) Financial Information - You will need to enteryour families gross total household income at the time of the IKE disaster. Grap pay stubs of all family members and add up the YTD amounts of gross salary.
4) Contact Infomation - You have to provide the address and phone number of the location where the damage occurred. Inaddition you will need to provide FEMA with your current mailing address and phone numbers where you can be reached.
5) Electronic Funds Transfer - If FEMA determies that you or your business is eligible for help and you would prefer that funds be deposited directly into your bank account ( this is the same as direct deposit of your pay check) you can provide FEMA with your banking information including bank routing number and your personal account number. Have a check book available to look at when calling or going on the internet.
PLEASE REMEMBER ... Prudential Gary Greene and Bob Gilbert are here to assist YOU through the recovery process from this disaster....