FEMA Encourages Families with Diverse Immigration Status to Apply

image of large scale flooding with the FEMA logo over top

If you had flood related damage or storm-caused expenses and live or own a business in Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Lyon, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Scott, Sioux and Woodbury counties, FEMA assistance can provide grants to help cover temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster related needs.

You or a member of your household must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen to apply.

Families with diverse immigration status, including adults who are undocumented, may still apply for assistance if:

  • Another adult member of your household meets the eligibility criteria and certifies their citizenship status during the application process or signs the Declaration and Release form, or
  • The parent or guardian of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or a qualified non-citizen applies for assistance on behalf of the child living in the same household. The parent or legal guardian must register as the co-applicant, and the child must be under age 18 as of May 24, 2024, the first day of the incident period.

How to Apply with FEMA

  • Visit DisasterAssistance.gov
  • Call FEMA directly at 800-621-FEMA (3362)
  • Download and use the FEMA app.
  • Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish)

U.S. Citizens

Anyone born in the U.S.; a person born outside of the U.S. to at least one U.S. parent; or a naturalized citizen.

Non-Citizen Nationals

A non-citizen national is a person born in an outlying possession of the U.S. – for example, the Republic of the Marshall Islands -- on or after the date the U.S. acquired the possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals. All U.S. citizens are U.S. nationals, but not every U.S. national is a U.S. citizen.

Qualified Non-Citizens

  • A legal permanent resident (β€œgreen card” holder)
  • An asylee, refugee or a non-citizen whose deportation is being withheld
  • Non-citizen paroled into the U.S. for at least one year
  • Non-citizen granted conditional entry (per law in effect prior to April 1, 1980)
  • A Cuban or Haitian entrant
  • Certain non-citizens in the U.S. who have been abused, subject to battery or extreme cruelty by a spouse or other family/ household member or have been a victim of a severe form of human trafficking, including people with a β€œT” or β€œU” visa.

Resources

See Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for Federal Public Benefits for more information in multiple languages at fema.gov/assistance/individual/program/citizenship-immigration-status.

If you’re unsure of your immigration status, talk to an immigration expert to learn if your status falls within the immigration status requirements for FEMA disaster assistance. Visit nvoad.org/ to learn about other voluntary organizations.

Iowa homeowners and renters affected by the flooding on June 16 through July 23, 2024, now have until October 22, 2024, to apply for FEMA assistance.