Financial & Disaster Assistance

United Way Fox Cities has opened a Tornado Recovery — Community Response Fund taking donations for storm recovery across the Fox Cities.

Why money rather than goods. It sounds cold next to a truckload of supplies, but cash lets relief groups buy exactly what is short, locally, from businesses that were damaged, with no sorting, storage or hauling cost. Donated goods have to be received, sorted and warehoused by the same volunteers who would otherwise be helping survivors.

This is an established local organization, which matters right now — fake relief funds appear within 48 hours of every disaster and this one is well past that mark. Before giving to any other fundraiser, read the warnings in the Avoid Scams section.

Donate online at the link, or call with questions.

Federal individual assistance becomes available only after a presidential disaster declaration covering this county. That process takes time — damage assessments must be completed and the state must formally request it. No declaration has been announced for the July 27 storms yet.

What to do now:

• Report your damage to the county (see Report Your Damage). This is literally what drives the declaration
• File your insurance claim. FEMA covers uninsured and underinsured losses only, and will ask for your insurance settlement first
• Document everything
• Watch official county and state channels for a declaration announcement

If a declaration comes, apply free at disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-3362. Never pay anyone to file for you.

Assistance, when available, can include temporary housing, home repair, and other disaster-related expenses. It is not a replacement for insurance and rarely makes anyone whole.

A local drone service based in the Fox Valley, offering aerial photography and video of roof and property damage suitable for submitting with an insurance claim.

Call to ask about availability, turnaround and pricing — demand for this is high across the damage path right now, so book early if you need it.

Ask them for high-resolution stills as well as video, and for files you can download and keep rather than only a link, so the evidence stays with you.

Ask about the FAA flight restriction. Until 6:45 p.m. Saturday, August 1, drone flights within 2 miles of the Menasha Police Department require FAA authorization. A properly run operator will already know this and will tell you whether your address falls inside the zone.

A common misconception: SBA disaster loans are not just for businesses. Homeowners and renters are eligible too, and SBA is usually the largest source of federal recovery funding for individuals.

Typical programs, once a declaration is in place:

• Homeowners — for repairing or replacing a primary residence
• Renters and homeowners — for replacing damaged personal property
• Businesses of any size and nonprofits — for physical damage
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans — for small businesses that lost revenue

Apply free at sba.gov/disaster or call 1-800-659-2955. Even if you do not want a loan, applying can be a prerequisite for some other grant assistance — worth doing.