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Individual and Household Assistance Program (IHP) provides resources to assist residents such as temporary housing, unemployment aid, food stamps, grants and loans.

FEMA will widely publicize the assistance programs that are made available after a disaster declaration. These programs are designed to provide funds for expenses not covered by insurance. Several or one type of assistance through this program may become available depending on the scope of the disaster, if the required thresholds are met, and if the area qualifies and receives a presidential disaster declaration. If the individual is unclear as to what programs are available and what qualifies as assistance you can always contact your county Emergency Management office and they will try to assist in finding the answers.

INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE
Individual and Household Assistance Program

The Individual and Household Assistance Program (IHP) is a combined FEMA and state program. When a major disaster occurs, this program provides money and services to eligible residents in the declared area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance. In every case, the disaster victim must register for assistance and establish eligibility. The toll-free telephone registration number is (800) 621-FEMA or TTY (800) 462-7585 for the hearing or speech impaired. FEMA (or the providing agency) will verify eligibility and need before assistance is offered.

What Types of Assistance Are Provided?

The IHP - Housing Assistance ensures that residents whose homes are damaged by a disaster have a safe place to live. The IHP - Other Needs Assistance (ONA) provides financial assistance to individuals and households who have other disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs and do not qualify for a low-interest loan from the SBA. These programs are designed to provide funds for expenses that are not covered by insurance. They are available only to homeowners and renters who are United States citizens, non-citizen nationals, or qualified aliens affected by the disaster. The following is a list of the types of assistance available through this program and what each provides:

Temporary Housing - Homeowners and renters receive funds to rent a different place to live or a temporary housing unit when rental properties are not available.

Repair - Homeowners receive grants to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to make the damaged home safe, secure, and sanitary.

Replacement - Under rare conditions, homeowners receive limited funds to replace their disaster damaged home.

Permanent Housing Construction - Homeowners and renters receive direct assistance or a grant for the construction of a new home. This type of assistance occurs only in very unusual situations, in insular areas or remote locations specified by FEMA where no other type of housing is possible.

Other Needs Assistance (ONA) - Applicants receive grants for necessary and serious needs caused by the disaster. This includes medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, moving and storage, and other expenses that FEMA approves. The homeowner may need to apply for an SBA loan before receiving assistance.

Small Business Administration Disaster Loans

The SBA can make federally subsidized loans to repair or replace homes, personal property or businesses that sustained damages not covered by insurance. The SBA can provide three types of disaster loans to qualified homeowners and businesses:

• Home disaster loans to homeowners and renters to repair or replace disasterrelated damages to home or personal property
• Business physical disaster loans to business owners to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including inventory, and supplies; and
• Economic injury disaster loans, which provide capital to small businesses and to small agricultural cooperatives to assist them through the disaster recovery period.

For many individuals the SBA disaster loan program is the primary form of disaster assistance. More information is available at www.sba.gov.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program provides unemployment benefits and re-employment services to individuals who have become unemployed because of major disasters. Benefits begin with the date the individual was unemployed due to the disaster incident and can extend up to 26 weeks after the Presidential disaster declaration date. These benefits are made available to individuals not covered by other unemployment compensation programs, such as those who are self-employed, farmers, migrant and seasonal workers, and those who have insufficient quarters to qualify for other unemployment compensation.

All unemployed individuals must register with Job Service North Dakota before they can receive DUA benefits. Although most states have a provision that an individual must be able and available to accept employment opportunities comparable to the employment the individual held before the disaster, not all states require an individual to search for work.

For more information contact Job Service North Dakota at www.jobsnd.com.

Legal Services

When the President declares a disaster, FEMA, through an agreement with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, provides free legal assistance to disaster victims. Legal advice is limited to cases that will not produce a fee (e.g., these attorneys work without payment). Cases that may generate a fee are turned over to the local lawyer referral service.

The assistance that participating lawyers provide typically includes:

• Assistance with insurance claims (life, medical, property, etc.).
• Counseling on landlord ⁄ tenant concerns.
• Assistance with consumer protection matters, remedies, and procedures.
• Replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed in a major disaster.

Disaster legal services are provided to low-income individuals who, prior to or because of the disaster, are unable to secure legal services adequate to meet their needs as a consequence of a major disaster.

For more information, contact the State Bar Association of North Dakota at www.sband.org. Disaster recovery resources provided through the State Bar Association of North Dakota must be coordinated through NDDES.

Special Tax Considerations

Taxpayers who have sustained a casualty loss from a declared disaster may deduct that loss on the federal income tax return for the year in which the casualty actually occurred, or elect to deduct the loss on the tax return for the preceding tax year. In order to deduct a casualty loss, the amount of the loss must exceed 10 percent of the adjusted gross income for the tax year by at least $100. If the loss was sustained from a Presidentially declared disaster, the taxpayer may choose which of those two tax years provides the better tax advantage.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can expedite refunds due to taxpayers in a Presidentially declared disaster area. An expedited refund can be a relatively quick source of cash, does not need to be repaid, and does not need an Individual Assistance declaration. It is available to any taxpayer in a Presidentially declared disaster area. For more information contact the Internal Revenue Service at www.irs.gov.

Crisis Counseling

The Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP), authorized by §416 of the Stafford Act, is designed to provide supplemental funding to states for short-term crisis counseling services to people affected in Presidentially declared disasters. There are two separate portions of the CCP that can be funded: immediate services and regular services. A state may request either or both types of funding.

The immediate services program is intended to enable the state or local/tribal agency to respond to the immediate mental health needs with screening, diagnostic, and counseling techniques, as well as outreach services such as public information and community networking.

The regular services program is designed to provide up to nine months of crisis counseling, community outreach, and consultation and education services to people affected by a Presidentially declared disaster. Funding for this program is separate from the immediate services grant.

To be eligible for crisis counseling services funded by this program, the person must be a resident of the designated area or must have been located in the area at the time the disaster occurred. The person must also have a mental health concern which was caused by or aggravated by the disaster or its aftermath, or he or she must benefit from services provided by the program.

For more information contact the North Dakota Department of Human Services at www.nd.gov/humanservices. Disaster recovery resources provided through the North Dakota Department of Human Services.

Emergency Management Contact Info:

Sandra A. Hanson
Emergency Manager/911 Coordinator
Phone: (701) 724-6241 ext. 113

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