Louisville officials explain requirements for FEMA assistance for storm victims

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg joined state and federal officials Thursday to announce assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now available for individuals impacted by the recent severe weather.

FEMA officials are on the ground in Louisville now, ready to assist residents who qualify. The FEMA Survivor Disaster Assistance Team is going door to door to inform individuals of their eligibility.

FEMA assistance centers have also been set up at city hall in Jeffersontown and the Anchorage Middletown fire departments. They're open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On weekends, a pop-up location will be open at the Jeffersontown Farmers Market on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. More locations could be announced soon.

During a media briefing on Thursday, Greenberg said more than 1,200 homes and businesses in Louisville and Jefferson County suffered damage from the floods and tornadoes in April.

So far, about 100 families have requested curbside pickup of storm debris, and another 340 Louisville families have already applied for FEMA assistance.

Clean-up has been challenging, and the process to receive assistance can be slow. That's why the city of Louisville wants to make sure it gets the word out about FEMA, and the help that it can provide.

Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson noted that "we've been in Louisville a lot lately," including after a tornado event in May 2024, another tornado in July 2024. Louisville and Jefferson County were also hit by tornadoes in April and May, followed by severe flooding that impacted Jefferson County and other parts of the state.

"Every individual has a deadline for registration, that's June 25, so we still have a lot of time but I ... want to make sure people know that and they are applying and they're going out there and getting their application out there and it gives us time to work through all those nuances that I've talked about," said Jeremy Slinker, federal coordinating officer for FEMA.

Slinker explained that individual assistance from FEMA can't happen until a federal disaster has been declared. Now that that's happened, individual households can receive federal dollars to help cover repair costs and find a place to stay if needed. Rental assistance is also available for those who qualify.

Slinker said FEMA officials equipped on the street with iPads can be requested help residents sign up for assistance. He noted that several steps will need to be taken after applying for assistance. First, a home inspector will contact the homeowner to set up a home inspection. That means people may receive phone calls from unfamiliar numbers, so be sure to answer those calls because it could be a FEMA official.

After the inspection, officials will evaluate the requests. A letter could then be sent asking for additional information if needed.

"We also want to make sure we set the right expectations," Slinker said. "Insurance is always first ... so that's one thing. If you've got insurance that will be one of the first questions. Then you might need to submit some insurance documents to show what you have claimed and what was covered."

Because of all of the possible "back and forth" Slinker said it's often easier to submit claims in person and "sit across from an expert to work through that until you get your case to the right point where you know what you're eligible for and you start receiving that assistance."

The assistance will come in the form of grant funding, and does not have to be paid back, Slinker said.

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