Dutchess County Residents Eligible for FEMA Assistance From Ida Storm Damage

In an important announcement on Monday October 25th, Dutchess County Emergency Management provided an update to county residents that they would now be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance as a result of Hurricane Ida.

Many areas of Dutchess County sustained significant damage as a result of the storm that brought damaging winds, storms, and flooding to the area in early September.

Some residents were surprised to find out that their homeowners insurance would not cover repair costs due to Hurricane Ida damage.  In fact, my own parents who live in Fishkill, had quite a bit of damage to their home and were denied twice from their insurance company, citing that they did not have flood coverage.  They applied on Wednesday October 20th through FEMA, and a representative was at their house over the weekend to assess damages and provide an in-person response to their request.

Now that Dutchess County has officially declared for FEMA Individual Assistance, those living in the county that have experienced property damage or income loss due to the storm can apply for assistance, even if they received prior damage estimates.  The official declaration for assistance comes as a result of hundreds of county residents that provided information to FEMA through the county's disaster portal online.  After these submissions, FEMA scheduled a number of site visits and determined that the county required assistance.

Here are the different ways that Dutchess County businesses and residents can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance:

1. www.disasterassistance.gov - once on the site you'll need to just enter your zip code and then click 'apply for assistance'
2. if you'd rather talk to someone directly, you can contact FEMA from 7am-1am 7 days a week at (800) 621-FEMA - keep in mind that FEMA is experiencing heavy call volumes at this time.