Impacted by Two Disasters – What You Need to Know

PROVIDENCE –On March 20, 2024, President Joe Biden approved two disaster declarations for Rhode Island.

Residents in Kent, Providence and Washington counties can apply for federal assistance under:

• DR-4765-RI for the December 17-19, 2023, severe storms and flooding
• DR-4766-RI for the January 9-13, 2024, severe storms and flooding

When two or more disasters are declared in the same state, FEMA ensures survivors receive all eligible assistance while preventing a duplication of federal benefits. One way the agency achieves this is to require a separate application for each disaster. If you have property damage or loss from the December severe storms and flooding, and then again from the January severe storms and flooding, you will need to complete two separate disaster assistance applications.

Homeowners and renters in Kent, Providence, and Washington counties have until May 20, 2024, to apply for property loss or damage caused by either disaster.

When applying for assistance, you will need to describe what damage happened on which date to ensure you’re applying under the correct disaster. 

Survivors in the designated counties who have disaster-caused damage or loss from either storm can apply for federal disaster assistance in several ways:

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET.
• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish)
• Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish)
• Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. You can search for a center nearby at fema.gov/drc

Assistance from FEMA may include grants for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home, such as temporary housing assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs for both owners and renters, and grants for disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, childcare and other miscellaneous items.

FEMA assistance may also be provided for repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges. 

Applicants should keep their current contact information on file with FEMA as the agency may need to schedule a home inspection or get additional information.

Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.

For the latest information visit 4765 | FEMA.gov.  and  4766 | FEMA.gov. Follow the FEMA Region 1 account at Twitter twitter.com/FEMARegion1 or the Facebook page at facebook.com/FEMA.

For updates on the Rhode Island response and recovery, follow the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency on Twitter at  twitter.com/RhodeIslandEMA, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandEMA, or visit www.riema.ri.gov.