Yes. However, contact your lender immediately, as many lenders will allow disaster victims to delay or skip payments for a few months. Most mortgage company web sites contain information for disaster victims including special hot-line numbers. Always contact your mortgage company for specific instructions.

If your monthly mortgage payments include an amount for insurance and taxes, please be sure and ask your mortgage company if payment of insurance premiums and taxes will be deferred as well and how they anticipate these payments will be handled after the deferral period.

The lender can file for foreclosure on your home. You will receive a written foreclosure notice. Nonpayment may also be reported to credit agencies that will seriously affect your ability to rebuild your life. Even if you had insurance, if the amount the insurance company pays is less than what you owe for your mortgage, you are still responsible for paying the difference. You should also contact legal counsel to determine other legal options. For instance, you might be able to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

File a claim with FEMA. Contact FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA or www.fema.gov to make a claim within 60 days of the declared date of the disaster. You may be able to deduct some of your loss on your federal income tax return for the current year. Only major losses normally result in tax savings. Check on the IRS web page at www.irs.gov and click on the disaster relief information for further details

File a claim with FEMA within 60 days of the declared date of the disaster.

You may appeal any decision. Explain in writing why you think the amount or type of assistance is not correct. Include your FEMA registration number. Sign and date the letter and mail within 60 days of the date on the letter from FEMA with the decision to FEMA-Individuals & Household Program, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055. You can fax your appeal letter to: 1-800-827-8112 ATTN: FEMA.

Through the Individuals and Households Program, FEMA generally offers financial assistance for temporary housing; repairs to make a house safe, sanitary, and functional; replacement housing; replacement personal property; transportation; and moving and storage. The funds are tax-free, not counted as income for other benefit programs, and are exempt from garnishment. Keep receipts for three years.

It is unlikely that you will be paid the value of your house. Check with FEMA to see if there are any programs to help you if your house is condemned. Keep in mind that the land on which your house sits has value even if no one is permitted to live in the house.

FEMA policy restricts assistance to only one claim per household. However, where families are forced into separate households after the disaster, both heads of households should file claims. You have a right to appeal any decision. Please contact legal services for assistance as soon as possible.

• FEMA
• Mortgage company/lender (Get Policy)
• Insurance company (Get Policy)
• Electric and Gas providers
• Phone company
• Water company
• Cable company
• Homeowners/Condo Association

Always start by contacting your lender. Mortgage lenders and servicers may provide relief from foreclosure by offering flexible loss mitigation options to borrowers following a natural disaster. Possible relief options include:

• Loan modification
• Temporary suspension or reduction in payments
• Waiver of late payments, and/or
• Suspending delinquency reporting to credit bureaus.

If you have received a written foreclosure notice as a result of a disaster-related financial hardship, you may be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance to help with mortgage payments. You must file an application for FEMA assistance to receive these benefits. Applications for assistance can be found at www.fema.gov.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans:

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans

Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Loans