Financial Preparedness in Times of a Disaster

When disasters hit, it can be financially and emotionally devastating. We can’t control disasters, but we can try our best to be financially prepared for them.  On the page below you will find state and federal resources to find financial and housing assistance, financial education and personal property damage resources.

Below is a list of federal and state resources that may be of some guidance to obtain financial assistance in times of a disaster.
Federal Sources

1. FEMA’s Individual and Households Program- resources for financial assistance and direct services after a disaster.
2. Disaster Assistance Improvement Program-provides information such as support, services and ways to apply for disaster assistance.
3. Ready.Gov-Financial Preparedness in times of a disaster
   1. Financial First-aid Kit
   2. Wildfire Safety Toolkit
   3. Financial Emergency Kit
   4. Money Smart Game-Disasters Financial Preparation and Recovery
4. HOPE Coalition America- a federal division that provides economic empowerment tools and services such as pre-disaster preparedness information, emergency budget counseling, assistance with insurance claims assistance and much more.
5. Disaster Unemployment Assistance- Assistance for those who are unemployed due to a major disaster.
6. Disaster Loan Assistance for small businesses- The type of loans available are business physical disaster loans, home, personal property, economic injury and military reservists economic jury loans.
7. IRS Disaster Assistance- The IRS Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Program can help taxpayers by granting additional time to file their tax returns without a penalty.
8.  NCUA Disaster Planning and Response
9. National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions
   1. Disaster Recovery Resources
10. The National Credit Union Foundation 
    1. Disaster Recovery App for Credit Unions

State Sources

1. Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
2. Colorado Office of the Governor
3. Colorado State and Local Level Referrals

• FEMA Region 8- FEMA information specifically for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Below you will find state and federal resources that may assist you with questions or needs regarding housing assistance in times of a disaster.

Federal Resources

1.  HUD Disaster Resources- these resources include housing counseling and housing assisting services.
   1. Office of Housing Counseling
   2. HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
   3. Community Development and Housing Assistance
   4. Office of Multifamily Housing
2. Fannie Mae Disaster Assistance for Homeowners and Renters
3. Benefits.gov:  Individuals and Households Programs (IHP)-Housing Assistance

Damage to personal property can be devastating personally and financially. If you’ve suffered personal property damage due to a disaster, here are some federal and state resources that may be able to assist you.

Federal Resources

1.  FEMA Mitigation
   1. FEMA Fact Sheet regarding Mitigation Options for Homeowners 
   2. Flood
   3. Wind
   4. General Protective Measures
   5. Mitigation Requirements 
2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Dealing with Disasters and Emergencies:  Tips on how to plan for the unexpected, protect your finances and recovering and rebuilding after a disaster.
3. NCUA Share Insurance Coverage Information
4. FDIC:  Checklist for Important Legal Documents and Financial Statements  This is a checklist provided by the FDIC for important legal documents and financial statements.
5.  Disaster Legal Services (DLS) is a collaboration with the American Bar Association and FEMA to help survivors navigate disaster aftermath of a presidentially-declared disaster. Other resources for support that are offered are the Disaster Distress Helpline, Disaster Legal Services Pro Bono Portal and Disaster Legal Services Hotline.

State Resources 

1. Boulder County Permitting Office
2. City of Louisville Marshall Fire Rebuilding Process
3. Town of Superior-Marshall Fire Rebuilding Process
4. Colorado Division of Insurance
5. Colorado Legal Services
6. Colorado Bar Association

Here you will find resources pertaining to financial education such as financial literacy, building financial skills and financial empowerment.

Federal Resources

1.  FirstNations.Org- Building Financial Skills in Native Communities The resource provides information on how Native Communities can build financial skills
2. U.S. Department of the Treasury-Financial Literacy and Education Commission
3. American Red Cross- The American Red Cross has provided a Disasters and Financial Planning guide to help prepare individuals and families for disaster and recovery.

State Resources

1.  Denver Office of Financial Empowerment & Protection
2. Bank On Denver
3. City of Denver:  Financial Empowerment Centers

This section provides state and federal resources for financial protection during a disaster. This includes information regarding the latest information on scams, identity theft and how to protect yourself from scams and fraud.  

Federal Resources

1. FBI:  Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): A federal reporting site if you have been a victim of internet crime or if you want to file on the behalf of a victim of internet crime.
2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Information on frauds and scams such as understanding identity theft, common types of scams and how to protect yourself from frauds and scams.
3. Department of Justice:  National Center for Disaster Fraud
4. AARP Fraud Watch Network Scam-Tracking Map- This source provides up-to-date information on the latest insights regarding scams.  Here you can also sign up for Watchdog Alerts to stay up-to-date of the latest scams, or contact the AARP Fraud Network Helpline.
5. NCUA Consumer Assistance Center

State Resources

6. Colorado Attorney General's Office-Disaster Fraud
7. Top Financial Scams that are impacting Americans-This resource is webinar to get information about the top fraud tactics that are being used to target Americans.

Safe Banking for Seniors

1. Elder Financial Exploitation - Tools and resources to help understand and address elder financial exploitation
2. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network - This provides information regarding potential indicators of elder financial exploitation.
3. Safe Banking for Seniors Participants - Here is a list of financial institutions that participate in the Safe Banking for Seniors initiative.

Consumer Help Contact information

Here is a list of other Federal Agencies that could answer some of your questions regarding disaster assistance.

FDIC
877-275-3342
www.fdic.gov

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
800-613-6743
www.occ.treas.gov

Federal Reserve
202-452-3693
www.federalreserve.gov

Office of Thrift Supervision
800-613-6743
www.occ.treas.gov

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
CFPB Disaster Checklist
855-411-2372
www.consumerfinance.gov

Declared Disasters-
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations This is a federal resource where you can search declared disasters in your area or throughout the nation. You can search the results by state, year, declaration type and incident type.