LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — FEMA has boots on the ground in Palm Beach County, and WPTV's Michael Hoffman shadowed them for the day as they went door to door in Loxahatchee.
But what should you expect if you apply for assistance? And how do you make sure it really is FEMA at your door?
Help after the storms is now coming to your front door.
“It’s obviously welcoming,” said William Machan, whose home was damaged during the EF3 tornado that hit Loxahatchee. “It’s nice to hear that someone’s starting to focus on us too, where we know a lot of the damage happened also.”
Today, Machan says he’s signing up for FEMA relief. When the tornado pushed through his area, it left behind a path of destruction, damaging his home and making two of his cars undrivable.
That’s where FEMA comes in.
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Officials tell me that FEMA isn’t running the show. Its role, they told WPTV, is to supplement what the county and state need in terms of relief resources.
“We cannot make you whole again,” said Renee Bafalis with FEMA. “We can only help you get back on your feet.”
FEMA says you should still be speaking with your insurance provider as your primary relief. However, it can provide assistance and funds to make simple repairs to get you back into your home safely, repairs to your vehicles if it’s your only mode of transportation, child care expenses and low interest SBA loans to get you back to where you were before the storm.
But how can you tell if it’s actually FEMA?
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“We always wear our FEMA uniforms where there is a vest or a FEMA shirt, and we have FEMA identification,” said Bafalis. “So if anybody comes to your door knocking and saying they’re with FEMA, please ask for that identification and don’t give out your personal information to someone that is not a FEMA representative.”
FEMA tells Hoffman there will be emergency relief stations around the county. The locations have not yet been set, but we will let you know as soon as they are.
When you apply, you will be asked to provide:
- A description of the damage.
- Your address at the time of the disaster.
- Your Social Security number.
- Contact information.
- If you have insurance, your policy number, agent or company.
- Annual household income.
- Your bank account information for direct deposit.
To apply, call 800-621-3362. You can also watch a tutorial on applying for assistance here.
FEMA is also addressing online rumors directly with its own fact sheet, which contains links to accurate information and can be found here.
