Oklahomans who lost their underinsured vehicles because of the April and May storms and tornadoes may be able to repair or replace them with FEMA’s help. Unlike most other forms of disaster assistance, you don’t need to live in the declared counties to be eligible.
FEMA provides Transportation Assistance funds for vehicles with serious safety or operational issues. Vehicles with only cosmetic damage are not eligible. Transportation Assistance is meant to help applicants with one vehicle for the household, unless you provide written justification showing why more than one vehicle is necessary for daily use.
Repairs for a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $3,000 may be authorized with receipts. Up to $16,000 is available with documentation if the vehicle is destroyed. To be eligible, the vehicle must:
• Be owned or leased (but not a rental) by the applicant or co-applicant.
• Have been registered with the state at the time of the disaster.
• Meet minimum state requirements for liability insurance.
• Be verified as having sustained damage in one of the declared counties during the disaster.
• Be an approved vehicle type, such as a car, truck, SUV or van.
You may be asked to provide documentation of the vehicle’s verifiable damage. If your vehicle was destroyed, include one of the following:
• Proof from insurance company that the vehicle was a total loss.
• Document that verifies the vehicle’s title, such as a Salvage Title, Certificate of Destruction or Junk Title.
• Statement on official paper from the Public Works Department confirming your vehicle was destroyed and removed from the public rightof- way.
• Statement from a local official.
Those who can apply for transportation assistance or other types of disaster assistance, must be in the stormaffected counties of Blaine, Caddo, Carter, Craig, Custer, Delaware, Hughes, Jackson, Johnston, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Mayes, McClain, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Rogers, Washington and Washita.
The application process is simple, and there are four options: Go online to DisasterAssistance. gov. Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. There are multilingual operators ready to help. Use the FEMA App. Or, visit a Disaster Recovery Center. For locations and hours, visit fema. gov/drc.
