Disaster relief in the first 72 hours

Shelter, food, and medical help within hours

The American Red Cross responds to an average of about 65,000 disasters every year, most of them house fires. After a major disaster, the Red Cross opens emergency shelters that provide free overnight stays, hot meals, health services, mental health support, comfort kits, and access to case workers who help with recovery planning.

Red Cross services are available to anyone with a disaster-caused need. No ID, no proof of citizenship, no registration is required to access shelter, food, or health services. The Red Cross states that it will not question individuals about their citizenship status or request immigration documents.

The Salvation Army deploys mobile feeding units, provides emergency shelter, and offers emotional and spiritual care at disaster sites. During Hurricane Harvey, the Salvation Army served more than 2.8 million meals. Like the Red Cross, Salvation Army disaster relief is free and provided without discrimination.

Red Cross health volunteers at shelters can help replace prescription medications and critical medical equipment like canes, wheelchairs, and eyeglasses. Many state pharmacy boards also activate emergency dispensing rules after declared disasters, allowing pharmacists to provide short-term refills without a new prescription.

What the federal government actually provides

FEMA Individual Assistance activates after the President declares a major disaster for a specific area. Not every disaster gets a declaration; the governor must request one, and FEMA evaluates whether state and local resources are sufficient. Once declared, affected residents can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, by phone at 1-800-621-3362, through the FEMA app, or in person at a Disaster Recovery Center.

FEMA assistance can cover housing repair or replacement, personal property losses, medical and dental expenses, funeral costs, and other serious disaster-caused needs. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance coverage, so survivors with insurance should file a claim first. But if insurance does not cover everything, FEMA can fill the gap.

Beyond direct financial assistance, FEMA coordinates several other programs: crisis counseling referrals for emotional recovery, Disaster Legal Services (free legal help through the American Bar Association for low-income survivors), and case management to help people navigate the recovery process.

The key point for households: FEMA is not first-day help. Federal resources are designed to supplement local response, not replace it. The Stafford Act framework expects individuals and communities to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours. The Red Cross and Salvation Army fill the immediate gap.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Disaster Unemployment Assistance is a federal program that provides temporary unemployment benefits to people whose jobs were lost or interrupted as a direct result of a presidentially declared disaster. DUA is specifically for people who do not qualify for regular state unemployment insurance, including self-employed workers, gig workers, and people who were about to start a new job that no longer exists.

You may qualify if you lost your job because the disaster damaged your workplace, if you cannot reach your job site, if you were injured by the disaster, or if you became the household's primary earner because the previous earner died in the disaster.

DUA is administered by state unemployment agencies, not FEMA directly. After a declaration, the affected state publishes announcements about DUA availability. Apply through your state unemployment agency within 30 days. Benefits can last up to 26 weeks and are based on your state's regular unemployment benefit formula. Proof of prior employment or self-employment is required within 21 days of filing.

Replacing what the water took

When a disaster destroys a household's documents, the recovery process can stall before it begins. Birth certificates, Social Security cards, insurance policies, vehicle titles, mortgage papers, medical records, and tax returns are all replaceable, but each requires a different agency and a different process.

Disaster Legal Services, a partnership between FEMA and the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, provides free legal help to low-income disaster survivors. Attorneys assist with document replacement, insurance claims, landlord-tenant disputes, benefit applications, and FEMA appeals. Access it through DisasterAssistance.gov or at a Disaster Recovery Center.

For longer-term recovery, 211.org connects callers with local services including housing, food assistance, employment help, and utility assistance. State emergency management agencies and HUD also offer disaster recovery resources that extend well beyond the first 72 hours. The first step is always the same: apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 to establish your case.