FEMA assistance: Deadline to apply looms for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Last day to apply for FEMA assistance after storms

FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports that Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. is the last day for residents seeking hurricane-related FEMA assistance to apply.

HOLMES BEACH, Fla. - If you had damage during Hurricanes Helene or Milton, Tuesday is the last day to apply for FEMA assistance. Residents who haven't applied yet can still apply online before the deadline at 11:59 p.m.

Laurel Nevans is one of the residents receiving help from FEMA. She said she's seen ups and downs in her life, but this past hurricane season brought her biggest tribulations.

"I never thought I was going to have a worse experience in my life than getting out of a wheelchair and learning to walk, then Helene and Milton came along and said ‘hold my beer,'" Nevans said.

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Water came in from all areas of her house as flooding occurred on Holmes Beach. She also had roof and siding damage afterward.

"People don’t understand how stressful it is. I lost so much," Nevans said.

Because mold has settled in, she's now having to gut her island home. As she dealt with insurance, Nevans stopped by a Disaster Recovery Center to apply for FEMA assistance.

"A lot of us that thought we were going to get nothing because we have insurance are finding that we will and this is really going to help," said Nevans.

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As of last week, $1.22 billion has been given out to individuals who applied for FEMA aid. But with the deadline looming, officials said it's still good to apply, regardless of how minor or major damages may have been.

"Even if you feel like you wouldn’t qualify or if you didn’t have that much damage, it pays to go ahead and register and get your registration number, so post registration date you should discover damages you weren’t aware of with that number. It permits you to come back to FEMA and make applications," said Troy York with FEMA.

"They need to understand just because their registration process comes to an end doesn’t mean their cases aren’t continuing to process," said York.

Nevans encourages anyone who has felt the impacts of Helene or Milton to fill out the application before time runs out.

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"If you had severe damage, your insurance isn’t going to cover it all, and you may find FEMA may help you with some of that. It’s worth the 15 minutes it takes to do it," she said.

To apply for assistance, visit www.disasterassistance.gov.

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