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After a disaster
For anyone in the United States after a flood, fire, storm, tornado, earthquake or anything else that took your home, your power or your footing. Where to sleep tonight, how to go back safely, how to apply to FEMA and what to do if it says no, food, lost work, lost papers, the scams that follow every disaster, and the words to say when you call. One thing at a time.
Right now
- In danger, or someone is hurt? Call 911.
- Nowhere safe to sleep? Text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362, or call 211.
- Running a generator? Outside only, more than 20 feet from any window, door or vent. Carbon monoxide has no smell.
- Too much to bear? Call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, or 988, any hour.
More help
- Nowhere to stay? When you need a place to stay.
- Hungry today? When you need food.
- Bills, benefits and collectors? When the money runs out.
- ID, birth certificate or Social Security card gone? When your ID is gone.
- A doctor without insurance? When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- An insurer, a landlord or a contractor problem? When you need a lawyer and can’t pay.
- A call, a text or someone at the door you’re not sure about? Is this a scam?
- Someone died? When someone has died.
- Might not have signal? Save our tools on your phone before the next storm.
- All our free tools and Get help now.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). The facts come from the government’s own pages (FEMA and DisasterAssistance.gov, USAGov, Ready.gov, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Federal Trade Commission) and from the American Red Cross’s site, and the phone numbers were checked on those pages on October 1, 2026. Disaster programs change, and each disaster has its own dates and rules, so check the agency’s page for yours. Where we could not confirm something, such as a deadline that holds for every disaster, whether a state waives fees for replacement papers, or whether your water is safe, the page says to ask and does not guess. This page saves nothing: no account, no cookies, nothing you tick is stored or sent, and no analytics (privacy). Scarlet Beast is not a government agency, a relief organization or an insurer. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].