Houseboat Owners and Renters Should Register with FEMA for Assistance

Were you living on a houseboat that got damaged or destroyed during the September hurricanes? If so, you may be eligible for federal disaster assistance.

If a houseboat was your primary dwelling – regardless of whether you owned or rented it – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be able to help you. But you won’t know unless you register with FEMA as soon as possible.

FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program includes grants for temporary housing, home repair or replacement, and other disaster-related needs. Temporary housing grants allow homeowners and renters to lease a dwelling for a limited period of time when the disaster has made their home uninhabitable. Survivors can choose to rent an apartment, a home – or a houseboat.

Housing repair or replacement grants help eligible homeowners get back into a safe, sanitary and functional home. The funds are not intended to bring a home, including a houseboat, to its pre-disaster condition. A grant can be used to help purchase a new home, to purchase materials or to hire contractors or skilled workers to complete essential repairs.

Other Needs Assistance grants are given to eligible homeowners and renters for a wide variety of losses, including household items, furniture, appliances, vehicle damage, clean-up tools such as a wet/dry vacuum or air purifiers, moving and storage expenses or medical and dental expenses caused by the disaster, including lost medications or medical equipment.

A home is a home whether it’s on land or on water. Register with FEMA today to see whether we can help you recover from the hurricanes.

Survivors may register with FEMA for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362. Individuals who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) may call 800-621-3362.

These toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time) seven days a week. Operators are standing by to assist survivors in multiple languages.

You may also visit any of the nine Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) across the territory to get help registering with FEMA and speak to recovery specialists. To find a DRC near you, go to http://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm.