tips

Thousands of people are now picking up the pieces after Helene caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast.And as the scope of devastation widens in western North Carolina, trying to navigate recovery can be daunting. Many families, like Stephanie and John Zara, have filed insurance claims and are already getting denied. “Nobody in our neighborhood had it. And we are all in the same situation of what do we do now? We are getting instantly denied the coverage,” Stephanie Zara said.They say their bills are still due. And now, they are applying for federal relief.”Im waiting on the denial letter to give to FEMA to see whats next. Because I dont know. It feels impossible for us all at the moment,” Stephanie Zara said.Insurance experts have some resources and tips for navigating financial resources that can help you get back to normal. While they say every bit helps, they are forecasting each tip won’t necessarily be enough on its own.Action from the StateThe North Carolina Department of Insurance:Mike Causey is the commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He says less than 3% of homeowners have critical coverage like flood insurance.”The vast majority of the homeowners and the business owners, they’re going to depend on charity and FEMA assistance,” Causey said.Causey says the NCDOI has created two Victim Assistance Centers in Boone and Banner Elk that are designed to answer questions in real time. They are also helping with payment extensions for programs like Medicaid.Though, ultimately, the commissioner says if people don’t have the proper insurance, their claim will likely get denied.This is when he says it’s time to defer to outside aid, either federally or local philanthropic organizations.Federal AssistanceFederal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA):FEMA says since Helene touched down, 123,000 survivors have applied for aid and more than $37.4 million has been approved. These numbers are in North Carolina alone.They want the applications to keep coming. Call FEMA’s Disaster Aid hotline at 1-800-621-3362 to apply. “Go to the disaster assistance line. Disasterassistance.gov. It’s your friend. It’s a noninvasive way of being able to contact FEMA, get your information submitted and wait for a reply,” FEMA representative La’Tanga Hopes said.Aid and Other Relief TipsInsurance experts say when navigating insurance claims and any type of aid, the following actions are best practice:Take pictures of everything, even of things you don’t think are worth it, as you never know what companies will value things at.File your claims and contact your insurer ASAP. In typical cases, property owners have 60 days from the event to file a claim unless their insurance company has granted an exception. Look into exceptions, too!Keep a log of everyone you talk to and everything they tell you.If your claims are denied, apply for federal aid from FEMA immediately!When applying for outside aid, make sure you understand the terms. Not all aid is the same! Some aid comes in the form of loans to be paid back, and some are grants.Watch out for Scammers!Experts say to ask people for their official IDsThey say you should never have to PAY for aid services