Does federal disaster assistance to Helene victims amount to no more than $750 per family? No, that's not true: The White House stated that the $750 in Serious Needs Assistance is an immediate direct payment to eligible households for essential items like food, baby formula, water, medications and other emergency supplies. A FEMA spokesperson told Lead Stories, "that's not the only assistance you're going to get from FEMA." The total amount of assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal programs varies based on the extent of the damage, the victims' needs and the specific assistance programs available.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) published on X, formerly Twitter, on October 2, 2024, with the on-screen title "VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS VISITS AUGUSTA." The video's caption said:
Kamala is on the ground in Georgia two days after President Trump's visit to offer those who've lost everything $750. Don't spend it all at once.
If you were Ukrainian or a migrant you'd qualify for more assistance, but you're just an American citizen, so don't expect much.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu Oct 3 16:05:16 2024 UTC)
In the 12-second clip in the social media post, Vice President Kamala Harris said:
And the federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], providing $750 For folks who need immediate needs being met.
The post provided no additional evidence to support its assertion that victims of Helene will only receive $750 in federal disaster assistance.
During the same news conference (archived here) in Augusta, Georgia, on October 2, 2024, Harris went on to say:
FEMA is also providing tens of thousands more dollars for folks to help them be able to deal with home repair, to be able to cover a deductible when and if they have insurance and also hotel costs.
Today, I'm also announcing that the president has approved the [Georgia] governor's request for
100-percent federal reimbursement of local costs.
White House
A few days earlier, during a White House briefing (archived here) on September 30, 2024, Homeland Security Adviser Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall also outlined the short-term assistance and other available support. She said:
In states that have requested and have received major disaster declarations, FEMA is expediting the delivery of its Serious Needs Assistance, which is an immediate $750 direct payment to eligible households to allow them to pay for essential items like food, baby formula, water, medications, and other emergency supplies.
This is not the full extent of FEMA's assistance to individuals, but it's the first element of it that becomes immediately available with a major disaster declaration, and it gets people cash when they're absolutely desperate for it.
In addition, survivors who register for the FEMA Individual Assistance Program will be eligible to receive assistance to help repair their homes, cars, and other personal property in conjunction with their own insurance policies.
Serious Needs Assistance
The $750 in immediate support comes from FEMA's Serious Needs Assistance program (archived here). Storm victims can apply for it by creating an account at DisasterAssistance.gov or by using the FEMA app found in the App Store or Google Play.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
In an October 3, 2024, phone call, a FEMA spokesperson told Lead Stories that Serious Needs Assistance is one of many benefits provided by the agency. He continued:
But then there are other programs that you could qualify for as well, like if you need to go to a hotel, we will pay for that, or if you need repairs to your house, and if you're eligible, we will pay for that too.
But the 750, that's not the only assistance you're going to get from FEMA.
The FEMA spokesperson said victims of the storm could qualify for as much as tens of thousands of dollars in financial help:
We don't want people to think that that's the only assistance -- 750 and that's it. That's one of many programs that we have, but the ask is for people to come to us, register for assistance, and then we will find out which programs they are eligible for, depending on their situation.
In addition to individual assistance, FEMA has public assistance programs that support the community as a whole. A graphic included in a FEMA post (archived here) on X on October 2, 2024, spelled out the available government support:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu Oct 3 19:01:34 2024 UTC)
Read more
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about Hurricane Helene can be found here.
