FEMA Assistance Available for Georgians with Disability-Related Needs

ATLANTA – Eligible survivors of Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Debby, damage Aug. 4—20, 2024, may receive help with additional repairs and improvements if they or a household member has a disability. FEMA can help homeowners pay for the full cost of accessibility items like an exterior ramp, grab bars and a paved path of travel to your home from your vehicle when they are needed by you or a member of the household.

Residents in Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, and Wilkes counties may be eligible for this assistance.

FEMA may be able to pay for the entire cost for these items when needed to make your home safe to access for anyone in your household with a disability.

FEMA can provide money to help with some or all of these items when:

• Your home was damaged by Tropical Storm Debby or Hurricane Helene and your home already had one of more of these items.
• Your home was damaged by the storms and a member of your household needs one or more of these items, even if it wasn’t part of your home before the storms, or
• A member of your household was disabled by the storms and needs one or more of these items.

The first step is to apply. There are four ways Georgians can apply for FEMA assistance, which can include funds for accessibility needs.

• Visit a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. To find your nearest center, visit fema.gov/drc.
• Call FEMA at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
• Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Download and use the FEMA app.

FEMA programs are accessible to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.