GENEVA, Fla. — While many people moved quickly to seek assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following Hurricane Ian last fall, for those who have not yet filed a claim, time is almost up.

Thursday, Jan. 12, is the deadline for renters and homeowners to file a claim for their property loss or damage to property from Hurricane Ian.

FEMA spokesperson Kim Fuller said on Monday that applications began slowing down over the holiday season, but they want to make sure that those who are eligible for assistance can receive it.

“We really want to take this last week and get people focused on empowering themselves to fill out their application, especially for Hurricane Ian,” Fuller said. “If they’ve also been a disaster survivor of Hurricane Nicole, they can fill out a second application for that, but that deadline isn’t until Feb. 13.”

To date, FEMA has distributed $871 million to homes around Florida. The U.S. Small Business Administration doled out $1.42 billion in disaster loans. This assistance is spread across 26 counties, including many in Central Florida, like Brevard, Flagler, Orange and Seminole counties.

She said one of the things that some folks may have encountered is what appears to be a rejection of their claim. However, Fuller said that may not necessarily be the end of the road for their application prospects.

“People are not realizing that if they get an SBA (Small Business Administration) loan application, they have to fill that application out. They may get denied, but that’s ok. If they get denied, then they go back into the pool for possible FEMA funding,” Fuller said. “So, they have to fill out the SBA application, whether they want a loan or not.”

Fuller also clarified that the SBA is the agency that distributes the funds and that the name shouldn’t cause people to think that it’s just a federal agency that deals with businesses.

“If you get an SBA loan, it means you’re eligible as a homeowner. So, please fill out the application,” she said. “And if you are a business, you can either go to the FEMA DRC, which is a disaster recovery center, or you can go to the FEMA website and there also are SBA recovery disaster sites that can also help you.”

Fuller said another common issue is that sometimes there may be a lingering piece of information that FEMA needs to complete their assessment. So for those with a pending application, it’s important to check in on its status and be receptive to phone calls, even from numbers that are not immediately recognizable.

“We want to be able to empower you to get the funds you may be leaving there on the table, essentially, Fuller said.

Some homeowners may be running into a situation in which their house had previously been deemed “high risk.” Fuller said if they didn’t have flood insurance prior to Ian, they may not be eligible for direct assistance.

However, she noted that there may be other means of getting financial assistance through local channels. 

“The best thing for people to do who are in that situation is one, check in with FEMA again just to make sure that’s the case, but they probably are correct that there is a rule in place that if you have had disaster damage and not bought flood insurance, then you’re not eligible,” Fuller said. 

“Unfortunately, that is the case for every homeowner that owns that home after that. And that’s an issue that they can really work with their local government on. And if they can’t get resolution to it, there might be other ways to mitigate their home and the county can actually help out on that as well.”

For further online assistance before the Jan. 12 deadline, click here.

It’s been four months of nonstop clean up for Willie Wright Jr., who lives in Orlo Vista. His neighborhood was one of the hardest hit areas​ of Orange County during Ian. 

“I thought we’d be a whole lot further but we are getting there,” said Wright Jr. 

While things are looking better, he and his father still can’t live in their home just yet. They didn’t have flood insurance and were quoted $137,000 dollars for repairs, leaving Wright’s father anxious. “You know he comes by everyday he wants to, I can understand, but no one is living here right now,” said Wright. 

The one bright spot has been assistance from FEMA. Wright says about a month after the Ian he had a check in his hand for $15,000 dollars to jump start their recovery process. 

“We are trying to figure out, can we get a little more to help cover a lot of stuff through them”

While Wright applied for FEMA assistance while still cleaning out his home, the deadline for applications for those affected by Ian is on January 12th. He is encouraging anyone that can to apply. 

“Even if they give you  $5,000 or they give you $2,000, you have that much more than what you had to at least start something and who knows you might have other organizations who can come in and help, I think you need to at least start that process,” said Wright. 

Knowing he has at least a little bit of help, and is appealing to FEMA for a larger check, gives Wright peace of mind.

While his front yard still has brown patches from the water logged furniture he dragged out there, Wright is confident that with more help there are greener pastures are ahead. 

“It is starting to feel like home again. Once we do everything, inside I think it will be okay,” said Wright. 

This Thursday’s deadline is only for those applying for help due to damage from Hurricane Ian. Homeowners and renters have until February 13 to apply for property loss or damage caused by Hurricane Nicole. 

To apply for FEMA assistance:

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET 
• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish) 
• Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish) 
• Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. You can search for a center nearby at disaster recovery center locations