Legally Yours: FEMA Explained

In this episode of Legally Yours, Charlotte Waters and Kathy Grunewald of Legal Services of North Florida explain how FEMA fits into disaster recovery, emphasizing that FEMA help requires a presidential major disaster declaration and is meant to make a primary residence safe, livable, and accessible. They break down FEMA Individual Assistance, who can apply, how to apply, what information to gather, and why documenting damage with before-and-after photos and keeping receipts matters. They describe the inspection process, fraud cautions, and appeal rights, including deadlines, the need for new documentation like licensed contractor estimates, and FEMA’s 90-day appeal response window. They also discuss how legal services can help with FEMA appeals and common issues like proving ownership and occupancy and note SBA disaster loans as another recovery option.Support the show