Damaged well, furnace or septic system? FEMA can help

Submitted by tim on Sun, 07/23/2023 - 16:24

Vermont Business Magazine If you lost access to water because a private well or septic system was damaged, or if your HVAC System or furnace was damaged by the recent flooding in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance.

For private wells, HVAC Systems, furnaces and septic systems, FEMA may reimburse you for the cost of a professional, licensed technician to visit your home and prepare an estimate for necessary repairs or replacement of your disaster-damaged systems.

FEMA may also pay for the actual repair or replacement cost of your septic system or private well, which are not insurable items.

If you applied for FEMA assistance you will be contacted for a home inspection, call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 if you have not been contacted and it has been more than 7-10 days. At the time of your inspection, let the FEMA inspector know you have a private well and/or septic system that may have been damaged. If the damage is determined to have been caused by the floods, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance.

If you already had an inspection and damage to the well or septic system wasn’t reported, call the FEMA Helpline to update them on your damages. Please keep your contractor’s statement, estimates and receipts. You may refer to the FEMA decision letter you received for more information or appeals guidance if a decision has already been made

To register for FEMA assistance, call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA App. If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply.

If you live in an undesignated county and have damage, you can call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 to apply and if a designation for your county occurs, your application will begin to process.

FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance is accomplished equitably, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Any disaster survivor or member of the public may contact the FEMA Civil Rights Office if they feel that they are the victim of discrimination. FEMA’s Civil Rights Office can be contacted toll-free at 833-285-7448. Multilingual operators are available.

FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.