Homeowners and renters in Cook County who were affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding on from July 13 through July 16 may now call or go online to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
Anyone who has insurance coverage for property damage should first file a claim. Apply for FEMA assistance for uninsured or underinsured losses by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, downloading the FEMA app or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
Anyone who uses a video relay service, captioned telephone service or others should give FEMA the number for that service. When calling the FEMA Helpline, multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages).
FEMA can provide money to eligible applicants for help with serious needs, paying for a temporary place to live, home repairs and other needs not covered by insurance.
Have the following information ready when applying with FEMA:
- A current phone number.
- Address at the time of the disaster and current address if different.
- 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.
When applying, one member of a household needs to comply with citizenship criteria. That means a minor child who is a citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen can have a parent or guardian who is not eligible apply for assistance on the child’s behalf. Learn more about citizenship and immigration status requirements to qualify for disaster assistance by visiting www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program/citizenship-immigration-status.
Getting help to those who need it most is FEMA’s priority. Recovery teams will be out soon in the neighborhoods affected by the disaster to provide one-on-one support to individuals. Recovery centers will also be opening for individuals to get additional in-person help.
For even more information about the disaster recovery operation in Illinois, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4819.