FEMA wants to hear from you about your experience applying for disaster aid!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is the federal agency responsible for administering disaster aid to survivors, as well as states and local governments. Unfortunately, many of us have firsthand experience with disasters, so we have valuable input to share about how disaster aid can be improved.
In his first week in office, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the FEMA Review Council. This council is charged with evaluating FEMA’s operations and recommending policies to improve FEMA’s delivery of services. The FEMA Review Council is now asking to hear from the public about their experience with applying for FEMA’s disaster aid programs.
Examples of what the FEMA Review Council wants to hear about from you include:
- Describe your experience with FEMA’s response to your request for assistance. Was FEMA’s response timely and efficient to assist in your recovery?
- Describe your overall experience with FEMA. Was your interaction with FEMA positive or negative? Please fully explain your experience.
- How did you apply for benefits—was it online, in person, or over the phone? Did you encounter any difficulties?
- Were local or state authorities or private groups able to provide assistance in a more timely or efficient way than FEMA? Please fully describe your experience.
- What recommendations would you like the FEMA Review Council to make?
Year after year, the Appalachian region continues to experience devastating floods. From Hurricane Helene last fall to the flooding across much of the region earlier this year, Appalachians are all too familiar with the process of applying for FEMA aid to fix their homes, get businesses back up and running and making ends meet after some of the worst hours and days of their lives. The FEMA Review Council needs to hear Appalachian stories to make sure FEMA’s programs are working better for all Americans.
Please consider sharing your story of applying for FEMA assistance. It can be difficult to relive these experiences by telling your story, but sharing our stories can make things better for people that have to jump through FEMA’s processes in the future.