Assistance for Damaged Privately-Owned Roads and Bridges in Virginia

If you own a private road or bridge that has been damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene, you may be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance.

WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE FEMA INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE FOR PRIVATE ROAD AND BRIDGE REPAIR?

To receive Home Repair Assistance for privately-owned access routes, the following conditions must be met:

• A FEMA inspector determines repairs are necessary to provide drivable access to the primary residence.
• The applicant is responsible (or shares responsibility with other homeowners) for maintaining the privately-owned access route to their primary residence.
• The privately-owned access route is the only way to reach the applicant's primary residence; repair (or replacement) of a secondary route is necessary for practical use (for example, it is impossible to access the residence without a bridge or road); or the safety of the occupants or the residence would be adversely affected because state or local government emergency equipment (ambulances, firetrucks) cannot reach the residence.

The Individual Assistance registration deadline is Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.

WHO APPLIES IF MULTIPLE FAMILIES LIVE OFF A PRIVATE ROAD THAT WAS DAMAGED?

FEMA encourages each affected homeowner to apply for assistance. In instances where multiple homes share a privately-owned access route, assistance is shared between applicants, requiring additional coordination and documentation between FEMA and the applicants. In some cases, more than one owner may receive funds for a contractor's estimate. Please be sure to use these funds as intended.

FEMA also requires:

• Written consent from all applicants as pertains to the shared privately-owned access route.
• A declarative statement affirming any assistance FEMA provides will be used to make repairs to the access route, and the applicant understands they are responsible for getting permits and complying with local codes and ordinances.
• The households are not part of a homeowner's association or covenant responsible for repair of the access route, or the established homeowner's association or covenant is unable to receive assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) or private insurance to repair the access route.

HOW TO APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE

To apply for FEMA assistance, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, visit a Disaster Recovery Center, apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or call toll-free 800-621-3362.

Survivors who applied for assistance from FEMA need to stay in touch with the agency to update their application with any new information. The easiest way to provide new or missing information is by visiting a Disaster Recovery Center or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.

WHY DID I RECEIVE LESS THAN $200 TO FIX MY PRIVATE BRIDGE?

If you report damage to FEMA and receive a dollar amount between $179 - $195, you may have received this money to pay a contractor to inspect and provide an estimate of the cost to repair damage to your privately-owned road or bridge. After you receive the contractor's estimate, file an appeal. Your FEMA letter will explain the documents to submit.

The appeal can be submitted in one of the following ways:

• Go to a nearby Disaster Recovery Center. Find the center nearest you by visiting fema.gov/drc.
• Mail: Individuals and Households Program, National Processing Service Center; P.O. Box 10055; Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
• Fax: 800-827-8112.
• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov. Log into your account and upload supporting documents via the Correspondence Upload Center.

IS THERE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE?

Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans may also be able to help. FEMA grants and SBA loans work together to repair damage and advance your recovery. Businesses, some nonprofits, including associations, homeowners and renters may be eligible for a low-interest disaster loan to repair or replace uninsured private roads, bridges and retaining walls. For more information about the SBA, email [email protected] or call the SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services).

For more information on Virginia's disaster recovery, visit vaemergency.gov, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Facebook page, fema.gov/disaster/4831 and facebook.com/FEMA.

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To apply for FEMA assistance, please call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, or download and apply on the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages). Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.

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