On July 31, 2022, a local fire chief and his daughter deliver supplies to a member of the neighborhood in Jackson, Kentucky. SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images provided this image.
For the Eastern Kentucky residents who lost everything in their houses and during the catastrophic and devastating floods in late July, hundreds of GoFundMe campaigns were started. The Federal Emergency Management Agency may be unable to provide benefits to flood victims as a result of those donations.
Numerous individuals who lost their houses last week due to severe flooding lacked flood insurance as well as other types of insurance.
Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, and Whitley counties have received a disaster declaration from FEMA, making residents eligible for government aid. disasterassistance.gov or one of the FEMA mobile registration centers put up in Eastern Kentucky are two places where homeowners and renters can register for assistance in person.
But Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear issued a warning that some recipients of fundraising donations could not be eligible for federal benefits.
According to FEMA, receiving money from a GoFundMe page for a specified purpose, such repairs or other aid, may influence your eligibility for FEMA assistance, Beshear said. “This implies that if you obtain benefits from another source, such as money from a GoFundMe campaign for house repairs, FEMA cannot replicate those benefits. FEMA claims that because the money has already come from another source, it is unable to provide more of the same.”
Beshear asserted that the agency lacks discretion in this matter. The FEMA press secretary, Jeremy Edwards, confirmed this restriction in a statement to FOX Weather.
However, Edwards advised survivors to still apply for aid and let FEMA decide if they qualify. “If you receive money from a GoFundMe page for something specific, such as repairs, burial costs, or other aid, this may affect your FEMA eligibility,” she said. FEMA is not allowed by law to duplicate advantages you obtain from another source.
GoFundMe has also been contacted by FOX Weather for comment on this matter.
The governor advised those who were turned down for FEMA’s individual assistance to speak with a representative at a registration center. Some applicants are turned away because they lack the required documentation. To aid in the provision of records that may have been lost in the floods, the state is opening disaster recovery centers.
“I’ve been informed that if you’ve been turned down, you can stop over and speak with a FEMA representative there. They will discuss your claim with you and open it up, “said Beshear.
At shelters or state parks in Kentucky, more than 500 people are residing. Beshear calculated that 1,000 additional flood victims are currently staying with friends or relatives.
OTHER THAN FEMA, HELP IS AVAILABLE FOR KENTUCKY FLOODS VICTIMS Other organizations besides FEMA, the American Red Cross, and the United Way offer assistance to flood victims. The state established a fund for flooding relief, much like the fundraiser that took place following the fatal tornado outbreak in Western Kentucky in December 2021.
Donations to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund totaling more than $3.6 million will be used to aid flood victims. 17 funerals for some of the 37 people murdered during the flooding situation have already been covered by the cash. These monies may be used for the funeral expenses of any flood victims, and their families are not required to submit applications.
Beshear announced on Friday that the Kentucky Distillers Association would hold a bourbon auction from August 11 to August 21 to raise money for the relief fund. Rare bourbon sales will generate all of the money needed for disaster relief.
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