In 2018, many people were impacted by natural disasters, from hurricanes and tropical storms to floods and wildfires. In the new year, disaster relief efforts are still ongoing as individuals and families try to get their lives back to normal. Benefits.gov is here to help rebuild, offering designated resources for victims of natural disasters. Our Disaster Relief category is a helpful place to start your search for disaster assistance.
Do you have to your home and property?
Our site features many housing assistance options for victims of natural disasters. The Internal Revensure Systems's (IRS) Casualties, Disasters, and Theft program offers tax relief for property losses that result from events such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and earthquakes. For those looking to rebuild their homes following a disaster, the Individuals and Households Program (IHP), operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), aids in forms such as grants to help repair or replace damaged housing. Also, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides Home and Property Disaster Loans in the form of low-interest, long-term loans for losses that are not fully covered by insurance or other recoveries.
Do you have agricultural losses?
If you’re an agricultural producer impacted by a disaster, you’ve likely experienced a loss to your crops, land, or livestock. A variety of agricultural resources exist to help cover your losses, such as Crop Insurance, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crop Insurance protects agricultural producers against crop losses resulting from natural causes. The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to a natural disaster. For livestock losses, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to producers for excess livestock deaths caused by adverse weather.
Have you experienced loss of business or employment?
Many people displaced by disasters have a difficult time returning to work or finding new employment. The U.S. Department of Labor Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides unemployment benefits to individuals who have become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster. For business owners, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Business Physical Disaster Loans provide financial assistance to small businesses or private, non-profit organizations that suffer substantial economic injury as a result of a declared disaster.
Explore more resources
Browse our site for a range of additional disaster resources to help individuals get back on their feet. For example, the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) assists individuals and communities in recovering from the effects of a declared disaster through outreach and psycho-educational services. Also, Disaster Legal Services provides free legal help for survivors of a declared disaster.
To check your eligibility for any of the programs above, and the over 1,000 benefits on our site, complete the Benefit Finder questionnaire. We also encourage you to visit DisasterAssistance.gov to browse and apply for more than 70 forms of disaster assistance from 16 Federal agencies, and to find resources near you.
