There’s been some severe weather in the United States in the past couple of months, and billions of dollars of damage has been one result. Even if you’re not in one of the hard-hit areas, it’s worthwhile for you to be prepared with the resources that you’ll need if a natural disaster happens close to home.
Most people agree that helping communities and states that are in dire need is a legitimate government expenditure. Government grants are made available to individuals, state and local governments, and to organizations to help repair the damage and try to get life back to normal as soon as possible.
As an individual, it’s likely that your most valuable possession is your home. That’s in terms of dollars–of course, the most urgent concern is to safeguard lives and prevent injury.
If your home is damaged or destroyed, that can be a devastating blow that has the potential to turn your life upside down. Your insurance may or may not cover your losses entirely. That’s where government grants come in. They can help people with temporary shelter and with rebuilding.
Here’s how you can find the resources for your state. Visit the National Council of State Housing Agencies at www.ncsha.org and click on your state to find contact information. If you’re in a situation that needs immediate help, call 211 from any phone, and you’ll be connected with city services. If you still have an Internet connection, you can enter your city name and “211” in a search engine, and that will take you to a list of resources where you can get immediate help and find out about agencies that have government grants that can help you.
There’s another kind of disaster-related government grant too. Two of my students received $44,555 for the purpose of providing rental housing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Much of the available housing for modest-income people got wiped out, so the government in effect partnered with the private sector to help with the rebuilding effort, by offering government grant that would help housing availability.
I hope you stay safe, and never have to experience weather-related damage and destruction. It’s good to know, though, that if does happen to you, then government grants will be available to help you rebuild your life.