Flood Assistance Information

State Flood Hotline

1-800-458-2407


NH Office of Emergency Management

What to do after a flood


American Red Cross

FEMA

Website

To apply online

To apply by phone:

1-800-621-FEMA(3362)
1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for hearing and speech impaired

FEMA Information


What is Disaster Assistance?

Disaster assistance is money or direct assistance to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance. It is meant to help you with critical expenses that cannot be covered in other ways. This assistance is not intended to restore your damaged property to its condition before the disaster.

While some housing assistance funds are available through our Individuals and Households Program, most disaster assistance from the Federal government is in the form of loans administered by the Small Business Administration.

Do I Qualify for Assistance?

First and foremost, to qualify for assistance, your losses must have occurred in an area covered by a disaster declaration.  This declaration has been made for Belknap, Carroll, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford Counties.

Secondly, if you have insurance, you must file a claim with your insurance company.

Is disaster assistance available if I have insurance?  

Possibly. If you have not already contacted your insurance agent to file a claim, please do this as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim with your insurance company may affect your eligibility for assistance. 

After filing a claim, if any of the following situations occur FEMA may be able to provide some assistance:

Your insurance settlement is delayed. Delayed means a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed longer than 30-days from the time you filed the claim. If a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed, you will need to write a letter to FEMA explaining the circumstance. You should include documentation from the insurance company proving that you filed the claim. If you filed your claim over the telephone, you should include the claim number, date when you applied, and the estimated time of how long it will take to receive your settlement. Any help awarded to you by FEMA would be considered an advance and must be repaid to FEMA once an insurance settlement is received.

Your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your disaster-related needs. If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance and still have an unmet disaster-related need, you will need to write a letter to FEMA indicating the unmet disaster-related need. You will also need to send in documentation from your insurance company for review.

You have exhausted the Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provided by your insurance company.If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses (Loss of Use) and still need help with your disaster-related temporary housing need, write a letter to FEMA indicating why you continue to have a temporary housing need. You will also need to provide documentation to prove use of ALE from insurance, and a permanent housing plan.

You are unable to locate rental resources in your area. The FEMA Helpline has a list of rental resources in the disaster area. If no resources are available in your county, then the Helpline agent can provide you with resources in an adjacent county.

You have up to twelve (12) months from the date you registered with FEMA to submit your insurance information for review. By law, we cannot provide money to individuals or households for losses that are covered by insurance.

What types of assistance are available?

Two types of disaster assistance, "Housing Needs" and "Other than Housing Needs", are available to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance.

Do I Qualify for Housing Needs?
  • To receive money or help for "Housing Needs" that are the result of a disaster, all of the following must be true:
  • You have losses in an area that has been declared a disaster by the president.
  • You have filed for insurance benefits and the damage to your property is not covered by your insurance or your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your losses.
  • You or someone who lives with you is a citizen of the United States, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.
  • The home in the disaster area is where you usually live and where you were living at the time of the disaster.
  • You are not able to live in your home now, you cannot get to your home due to the disaster, or your home requires repairs because of damage from the disaster.
You may not be eligible for "Housing Needs" assistance if:
  • You have other, adequate rent-free housing that you can use (for example, rental property that is not occupied).
  • Your home that was damaged is your secondary or vacation residence.
  • Your expenses resulted only from leaving your home as a precaution and you were able to return to your home immediately after the incident.
  • You have refused assistance from your insurance provider(s).
  • Your only losses are business losses (including farm business other than the farmhouse and self-employment) or items not covered by this program.
  • The damaged home where you live is located in a designated flood hazard area and your community is not participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. In this case, the flood damage to your home would not be covered, but you may qualify for rental assistance or items not covered by flood insurance, such as water wells, septic systems, medical, dental, or funeral expenses.
Do I qualify for "Other than Housing Needs" Assistance?
  • To receive money for "Other than Housing Needs" that are the result of a disaster, all the following must be true:
  • You have losses in an area that has been declared a disaster area by the President.
  • You have filed for insurance benefits and the damage to your property is not covered by your insurance or your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your losses.
  • You or someone who lives with you is a citizen of the United States, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.
  • You have necessary expenses or serious needs because of the disaster.
  • You have accepted assistance from all other sources for which you are eligible, such as insurance proceeds or Small Business Administration disaster loans.