Share with Your Friends, Family and Neighbors: Disaster Assistance Still Available for Virginians

BRISTOL, Va.— Do you have any friends, family or neighbors that were affected by Hurricane Helene? There is still time for them to apply for disaster assistance!

Impacted individuals in Bedford, Bland, Carroll, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax and Radford are eligible to apply for assistance from FEMA to help with costs from damage and losses due to Hurricane Helene. 

The deadline to apply for disaster assistance is December 2, 2024. 

1. There are several ways to apply for disaster assistance today: 

If you or someone you know received a FEMA determination letter, visit a DRC to get one-on-one help with next steps specific to your application. To find the DRC closest to you, including addresses and hours, visit FEMA.gov/drc or text DRC and a ZIP code to 43362. 

FEMA assistance can  be used for accessibility improvements to a home. If anyone in a household impacted by Helene has a disability or access and functional needs, FEMA assistance may be used to help repair or install accessibility improvements such as an exterior ramp, grab bars, or a paved path to a home. 

1. Learn more about the FEMA Individual Assistance Program here or visit fema.gov/ia.
2. FEMA programs are accessible to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. If you call FEMA, multilingual operators are available. If you need help completing your application for any reason, the FEMA Helpline is available seven days a week. Hours may be longer during periods of high activity. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service (CTS) or another service, give FEMA your number for that service.
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4. To watch an accessible video about how to apply, visit FEMA Accessible: Registering for Individual Assistance - YouTube.
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FEMA assistance is non-taxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, or other benefits.

FEMA has set up a rumor response webpage to clarify our role in the Helene response. Visit Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response | FEMA.gov.

For more information on Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit vaemergency.gov,  the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Facebook page , fema.gov/disaster/4831 and facebook.com/FEMA.  

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters. FEMA Region 3’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Follow us on X at x.com/FEMAregion3 and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/femaregion3.

To apply for FEMA assistance, please call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, or download and apply on the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages). Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Any disaster survivor or member of the public may contact the FEMA Civil Rights Office if they feel that they have a complaint of discrimination.  FEMA’s Civil Rights Office can be contacted at FEMA-OCR-ECRD@fema.dhs.gov or toll-free at 833-285-7448.