What To Expect When Expecting FEMA

FEMA came to visit us after Floyd, in Sept. 1999. The inspector reviewed the damage that the floodwater caused our basement and house. The basement was damaged and our house settled a little bit which caused some plaster damage on upper floors.

He was very sympathetic and helpful.

Our insurance company had already been to the house, so we had their assessment of the damage in hand. The FEMA inspector reviewed this information and did a 'gap' analysis with regards to what our insurance company was willing to pay, and what it would actually cost to repair the damage done to our home.

FEMA disbursed funds to help us close that gap.

Edie from FEMA came to my house yesterday. You need to show ID with your address on it, a utility bill and your mortgage statement.

You sit down for a few minutes to answer some questions. I filled out my aplication online so I had to just confirm all the information she had on the computer (including HHI). Don't forget to have any RECEIPTS for any wet vacs or dehumidifier purchases on hand. We had our furnace serviced so we showed her the invoice for that. Then you sign some papers.

I thought she was just going to assess the basement where the flooding was, but she also wanted to see the 2nd floor rooms. I wish we had known that so we would have cleaned up before she came! Our bedrooms were a mess. You know how lazy Sundays can be. Anyway, we finally went down to the basement.

She just walked around and asked more questions (did we lose any rugs? Were the washer and dryer damaged?) She also wanted to see a CLEAR water mark where the water reached up to. Luckily, there was a door that had a visible water mark. She took one picture and then took some measurements of the perimeter of the house outside. And that was it.

She was there for about half an hour.