In danger now? Call 911.Shelter, food and local help: dial 211.Emotional crisis: call or text 988.Ayuda en español
Get help

Recover after a disaster

Take it one step at a time. The order matters, because each step makes the next one easier.

First steps, in order

  1. Get safe, then document the damage

    Stay out of a damaged home until officials say it’s safe. Before you clean up, photograph and film every room, the outside and anything you have to throw away. If you can, keep a small piece of damaged carpet or flooring.

  2. Report the damage to your insurance

    Call your homeowners or renters insurance company, and your flood insurance company if you have a flood policy. They are separate claims. Write down every claim number, name and date.

  3. Prevent more damage and keep every receipt

    If it’s safe, your insurance expects you to stop more damage, like covering a hole in the roof or drying out a room. Keep receipts for tarps, fans, hotel stays and meals. Your policy may pay some of them back.

  4. Apply for FEMA if your county has a federal disaster declaration

    Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, in the FEMA App or at 800-621-3362, even if you have insurance. FEMA can help with needs insurance doesn’t cover. Have your insurance claim number ready.

    If FEMA says no, read the letter closely. It tells you what FEMA needs next. You have 60 days from the date on the letter to send it or appeal, and legal aid can help.

  5. Be careful who you hire

    Get written estimates, check the license and never pay the full price up front. In North Carolina, jobs of $40,000 or more need a licensed general contractor; search the state licensing board. In South Carolina, look up a residential builder with the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

  6. Talk to legal aid before you sign anything big

    Before you sign anything about your home, your land or a large repair, call Legal Aid of North Carolina at 866-219-5262 or South Carolina Legal Services at 888-346-5592. Their help is free if you qualify.

Proving you own your home

FEMA needs to confirm that you own and live in a home before it can help with repairs. That gets hard when a home was passed down without a will or a settled estate and the deed is still in a parent’s or grandparent’s name. This is called heirs’ property, and it is common in the mountains and the Lowcountry.

As a last resort, if your home passed down through your family and you have no other ownership papers, FEMA may accept a signed statement that you own it. You must send a copy of the death certificate of the person named on the deed with it. Legal aid can help you prepare it and clear the title for good, which protects your family long after this disaster.

Before you sell after a storm

Within days of a disaster, owners start getting unsolicited cash offers by phone, by mail, by text and at the door. Many are far below what the home or land was worth. Before you decide anything:

  • You don’t have to decide now.Insurance, FEMA and SBA decisions can change what repair is possible. Wait until you know what help is coming.
  • Find out what it was worth before the storm.Your county’s tax record shows the value the county last set for your home and land, and it can be years out of date. In South Carolina, look for the market value. The assessed value on that record is a small share of the market value, used only for taxes. A licensed appraiser can tell you what the home is worth today.
  • Talk to your mortgage company early.Call before you miss a payment and ask what disaster help it offers, such as pausing payments. Get any plan in writing. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you weigh your options for free at 800-569-4287.
  • Get more than one offer, in writing.Read every page, including what happens to your mortgage, your insurance claim and any aid you already received.
  • Have legal aid read the contract first.It’s free if you qualify, and a contract is much easier to fix before you sign it.
  • Report pressure.Report threats, false deadlines or anyone posing as a government official to the NC Attorney General at 877-566-7226 or SC Consumer Affairs at 844-835-5322.

Crisis Compass never buys property from the people we serve, and we never refer anyone to a property buyer.

Help from more than one program

Federal law doesn’t let FEMA or SBA pay for a loss that insurance or another program already paid for. If insurance pays for your roof, FEMA can’t also pay for that roof. This is called a duplication of benefits, and it catches families off guard months later when a program asks for money back.

Still apply for everything you qualify for, and keep good records:

  • Tell every program about every payment you receive, from insurance, FEMA, SBA, charities and family.
  • Keep award letters, insurance settlements and receipts together in one folder. Keep receipts for three years. FEMA can ask how you spent its money.
  • Spend each payment on what it was given for, and keep the receipts that show it.
  • If a program asks you to pay money back, call legal aid before you pay.

If you rent

  • Tell your landlord about the damage in writing.Keep a copy and take your own photos.
  • Apply to FEMA too.Renters can get help with belongings, and with rent while the home can’t be lived in.
  • SBA lends to renters.Renters can borrow up to $100,000 to replace belongings. See SBA disaster loans.
  • Call legal aid before big decisions.If the home can’t be lived in, call before you stop paying rent, move out or sign a new lease.

Your mortgage and the months ahead

Falling behind on the mortgage can push a family toward selling after a disaster. Call your mortgage company before you miss a payment, ask what disaster help it offers and get any plan in writing. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help at 800-569-4287. Foreclosure prevention counseling from a HUD-approved agency is free.

Recovery often takes months. Ask 211 whether a long-term recovery group serves your county. These local groups help families with repairs and planning long after the first responders leave.