Mission
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for leading the Nation's efforts to prepare for, protect and mitigate against, respond to, and recover from the impacts of natural disasters, man-made incidents, and terrorist events. Responding to a record 25 "billion-dollar" disasters in 2023, FEMA coordinated responses across all 50 states, territories, and Washington, D.C., supporting over 25 million people affected.
Designated Services
Designated Services
Applying for and receiving disaster assistance
FEMA's Individual Assistance (IA) program aims to aid individuals and households in their recovery from disasters. Assistance can be financial, direct (e.g., temporary housing provided by FEMA), or facilitated through partners (e.g., legal services, disaster unemployment assistance). Individual Assistance program customers include individuals and households facing necessary expenses and unmet needs not covered by insurance. While FEMA assistance does not replace insurance coverage, it provides critical support to survivors, helping them begin the recovery process. In 2022, FEMA received 2.4 million registrations for assistance, providing over $3.2 billion to survivors for housing and other disaster-related needs.
Filing a claim under the National Flood Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides insurance coverage for homes and properties against flood-related damages; on average, flooding causes more than $5 billion in damage annually. Policyholders, including renters, homeowners, condominium unit owners, mobile home owners, or business owners, can file NFIP insurance claims to recover the financial impacts of replacing damaged goods. As most insurance policies do not cover flood damage, payments from NFIP serve as a resource people can use to recover from flooding. NFIP claims payments, facilitated through participating private insurance companies and NFIP Direct, help policyholders recover from flooding, with approximately 5 million policyholders across the U.S.
Action Plans
Due to ongoing disaster responses, FEMA is delayed in posting the 2024 Action Plan. 2022 Action Plan commitments are detailed in Executive Order 14058.