Giving Compass' Take:
- Kevin Zedack presents a comprehensive guide to the Hurricane Helene federal assistance process for victims of the storm's devastation.
- How can funders effectively and equitably support communities impacted by the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton?
- Learn more about disaster relief and recovery and how you can help.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits focused on disaster philanthropy.
What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late in the evening on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane, making it one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the United States. Over the following weekend, Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm and moved inland up the Appalachian Mountains, causing unprecedented damage in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. Helene hit the region after sustained rain throughout the preceding week, bringing a total of 30 inches of rain in some areas and causing record-breaking flooding. As our region recovers from this devastating storm, we understand you may have some questions regarding the process for Hurricane Helene federal assistance.
We are heartbroken by the losses across Appalachia and the Southeast, as so many families have had their worlds turned upside down, and whole communities are struggling to access basic necessities. For information on ways to receive support and ways to provide help to others, please see our Helene Relief webpage. This blog is meant to explain the process for a presidential disaster declaration and what this all means for your community, and to answer several common questions we’re seeing.
Common Questions About Hurricane Helene Federal Assistance
Does FEMA Have the Money to Support Me and My Community?
FEMA currently has enough funding to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Congress provided funding to FEMA and the Disaster Relief Fund in the law passed at the end of September to avoid a government shutdown.
However, there are real concerns that Congress only provided the bare minimum in funding to FEMA with two more months of hurricane season to go. The scale of damage from Hurricane Helene is staggering, and the damage in Florida from Hurricane Milton is expected to be severe. If demands on the Disaster Relief Fund begin to outpace the account balance, FEMA enters “immediate needs funding” which focuses on continuing “lifesaving and life-sustaining efforts.” Immediate needs funding continues providing critical individual assistance, but suspends new public assistance requests that support community clean-up and recovery activities that can restore utilities, roads and other public infrastructure.
Read the full article about Hurricane Helene federal assistance by Kevin Zedack at Appalachian Voices.