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Supplemental Material for GAO-20-503: Select Disaster Profiles for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program 2016-2018

GAO-20-674SP Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
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Fast Facts

After a disaster, FEMA's Individuals and Households Program can help uninsured and underinsured people whose necessary expenses and serious needs won't be covered.

We compiled information—such as age, income, and insurance status—about people who applied for help from this program after Hurricane Florence, the California wildfires, and other disasters from 2016-2018.

For example, the program provided $158 million in assistance in response to Florence, which hit the Carolinas in 2018. More than two-thirds of applicants referred to the program earned less than $50,000 a year. More than 90% did not have flood insurance.

This accompanies GAO-20-503.

Average and Median Amounts of FEMA Assistance Owners and Renters Received to Help Them Recover from Hurricane Florence

Figure showing owners on average receive more assistance

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Highlights

This supplement is a companion to GAO's report entitled Disaster Assistance: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (GAO-20-503). The purpose of this supplement is to present additional analysis of applicant data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP) for the following disasters that occurred during 2016 through 2018—the 2016 Louisiana floods, hurricanes Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, and Michael, and the 2017 and 2018 California wildfires. The additional analysis includes, for example, the number of survivors who applied and were approved for IHP assistance, and the average and median amounts of assistance FEMA provided to eligible applicants.

For more information, contact Chris Currie at (404) 679-1875 or CurrieC@gao.gov.

Supplemental Material

This supplement is a companion to GAO's report entitled Disaster Assistance: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (GAO-20-503). The purpose of this supplement is to present additional analysis of applicant data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP) for the following disasters that occurred during 2016 through 2018—the 2016 Louisiana floods, hurricanes Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, and Michael, and the 2017 and 2018 California wildfires. The additional analysis includes, for example, the number of survivors who applied and were approved for IHP assistance, and the average and median amounts of assistance FEMA provided to eligible applicants.

Full Report

GAO Contacts

Christopher P. Currie
Director
Homeland Security and Justice

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Sarah Kaczmarek
Managing Director
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Topics

Disaster reliefDisaster recoveryDisastersEligibility criteriaEligibility determinationsEmergency managementFinancial assistanceHousing assistancePersonal propertySmall business loans