West Virginia renters who experienced losses due to the severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides of April 11-12 may be eligible for disaster recovery assistance from FEMA and the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA).
Renters may be eligible for grants from FEMA to help with such disaster-related expenses as:
- Renting a new place to live when the renter’s previous home was lost due to the disaster.
- Disaster-related medical and dental expenses.
- Replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged in the disaster, such as appliances and furniture; textbooks and computers used by students; and work equipment or tools used by the self-employed.
- Repair or replacement of vehicles damaged by the disaster.
- Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses.
FEMA grants are not loans and do not have to be repaid. They are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, SNAP benefits and several other programs.
Renters who sustained losses can apply for assistance in several ways, including: visiting a Disaster Recovery Center, calling the FEMA Helpline line at 800-621-3362, online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices.
West Virginia residents can visit a Disaster Recovery Center to get help registering for FEMA disaster assistance. To locate one, check the FEMA app or visit fema.gov/drc.
Help is available in most languages. Renters who use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. To view an accessible video about how to apply, visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance.
Renters can also apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan. Applicants can apply online at sba.gov/disaster, call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955, or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability should dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay service.
For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4787 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.
