Navigating Natural Disasters: Assistance and Other Resources

EQUIFAX IS THINKING OF THOSE IMPACTED BY THE RECENT HURRICANES AND ANY OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. We believe that when faced with the devastating circumstances of a natural disaster, financial concerns should be able to take a backseat to personal safety and wellbeing. We understand that many people are faced with the difficult task of rebuilding their homes and communities. At the same time, they may also need to take additional steps to manage their finances and protect against identity theft.

Here are some things to consider if you are navigating this difficult time.

• If you are not able to meet your financial commitments, contact your lenders and creditors directly as soon as possible. Make sure you fully understand the terms of any forbearance or other accommodations you may be offered by a lender or other creditor.

• Place an insurance claim, if applicable. If you do not have a copy of your insurance policy, it is likely available online.

• Replace lost or destroyed documents such as birth certificates, driver's licenses, marriage certificates, Social Security cards, passports, naturalization and citizenship documents.

• Forward your mail. Replacement documents will often be directed to your home address, where it may not be possible to retrieve mail in the near term.

• Consider freezing your credit reports. It's important to restrict access to your credit reports at all three nationwide consumer reporting agencies after a natural disaster especially if important documents were lost or destroyed.

• Check your credit reports and file a dispute if you see any unfamiliar, inaccurate or incomplete information. Consumers can review their Equifax credit report online free of charge via myEquifax or request their credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com.

  • You can also receive your U.S. credit report in Spanish from equifax.com or by calling Equifax. To contact Equifax, call 1-888-Equifax (1-888-378-4329).

Above all, beware of scams. Natural disaster survivors can be targets of various types of scams and fraud such as charitable and rental scams. If you're unsure whether or not a contact is legitimate, do not give out your personal information and contact the organization directly.

Additional information and support for natural disaster survivors can be found here.