ARKANSAS, USA — Following a presidential disaster declaration from President Joe Biden, assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now available to Arkansas residents impacted by the severe storms that took place over Memorial Day weekend.
Benton, Boone, and Marion County residents with homes damaged from the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding between May 24 and May 27 can now apply for disaster assistance.
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How to apply
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
- Click on your county, provide your ZIP code or state and city, and select the disaster that affected you
- Provide details about your needs, including property damage, emergency needs, and additional expenses
- Create an account or sign in to Login.gov
- Revisit the DisasterAssistance.gov to submit your application to FEMA
- Through the FEMA Mobile App
- Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
Types of available assistance
Individual Assistance
FEMA's Individual Assistance Program provides financial assistance and services to eligible uninsured or underinsured individuals impacted by a disaster.
Serious Need Assistance (SNA)
SNA provides funding for households to buy necessary items like water, food, infant formula, breastfeeding supplies, personal hygiene items, fuel for transportation, and other supplies.
Displacement Assistance (DA)
DA helps fund immediate housing options to keep people housed. These funds can be used for a hotel stay, staying with family or friends, or other options.
A previous version of this story reported FEMA offers up to $47,500 in aid. That number has now been confirmed as $42,500.
Funds for SNA or DA are funded after a completed inspection confirms eligibility. Individual Assistance funding is acquired after FEMA reviews your application.
Eligibility guidelines
- Completing a FEMA application
- FEMA needs to confirm your identity
- Your home where you live most of the year is in the declared disaster area: (Benton, Boone, or Marion counties in the case of Arkansas's most recent storms)
- FEMA can confirm disaster damage through an inspection or sent documents
FEMA representatives are currently working on a plan to decide where the recovery centers will be in Arkansas. Once those are decided, FEMA will release the official location details.
On June 5, FEMA sent Disaster Survivor Assistance crews to disaster-affected neighborhoods in Benton And Boone counties.
"The FEMA staff may help Arkansans apply for federal assistance, identify potential needs and help make connections with local, state, federal and voluntary agencies," FEMA said.
They say these crews are recognizable by their official photo ID. FEMA advises you to ask people offering assistance to show their ID before sharing any personal information with them.
"They may have FEMA clothing, but that can be easily imitated," the agency said.
These crews will help Arkansans in the following ways:
- Check on application status as well as make necessary changes to applications
- Connect survivors to organizations that can provide disaster-related information
- Connect survivors to organizations that offer disaster related-services for the long-term recovery process
- Explain how to apply for disaster assistance
- Provide all applicants with enough information to ensure equal access
Crews will continue to visit communities impacted by the Memorial Day weekend storms.
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