FRANKFORT, Ky. — FEMA is providing enhanced customer service in Kentucky to help all survivors of the May 21-27 severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and mudslides receive much-needed assistance. The FEMA team calls at-risk survivors directly to provide personalized assistance with the FEMA application process.

Calls from FEMA

Kentuckians who have applied for FEMA assistance, may receive a call, text or email from the customer service team. A call from FEMA may come from an unknown number, but applicants are encouraged to answer these calls. Beware of fraud calls — only FEMA knows an applicant’s nine-digit application number. FEMA representatives can provide this number to verify it is a legit FEMA call. 

The first calls applicants receive after applying for assistance are from home inspectors. The inspectors call applicants a maximum of three times to set up appointments. When applicants do not answer these calls, they will miss this important step in the assistance process. If applicants are still waiting for an inspection, they should call the FEMA helpline to make an appointment.

Call FEMA at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available daily, 7 a.m.-midnight ET. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.

Personalized Assistance

Disasters can be traumatic for everyone, but issues can be more serious for some older adults or people with disabilities. Whether the problem is a lack of digital access, an inability to respond, or simply a reluctance to do so, these applicants may benefit by a boost from the FEMA’s enhanced customer service team.

This team is tasked with revisiting cases and locating applicants who are challenged with navigating the application and appeals process. The team proactively identifies survivors who reported on their application that they had hearing and vision problems, mobility difficulties, mental or emotional distress.

FEMA’s enhanced customer service team ensures that all survivors, particularly those with additional needs, receive the assistance they need to rebuild and recover. The team also follows up to learn about additional disability-related needs, such as medical support assistance, medical equipment repairs, or replacement of assistive technology lost or damaged during the severe storms. In some cases, nonprofit organizations are involved to address survivors' needs, ensuring comprehensive support.

For the latest information on Kentucky’s recovery from the May 21-27 severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and mudslides, as well as news releases, fact sheets and other helpful documents in multiple languages, please visit fema.gov/disaster/4804. Follow FEMA at x.com/femaregion4and facebook.com/fema. 

To view information about how to apply for FEMA disaster assistance in American Sign Language with captioning and a voiceover, please check the YouTube link.