The Importance of Checking Your Furnace, Winter is Coming!
The weather might be crisp and lovely right now, but Chicago’s fierce winter winds and snow are on their way. Before it gets colder, take this time to check your furnace and any other appliances that may have been damaged in the June 29 – July 2 flooding disaster. If your furnace isn’t working and it isn’t covered by your insurance, you may be eligible to receive help from FEMA to repair or even replace it.
Assistance from FEMA is limited to only owner-occupied primary homes, not vacation homes or second homes. In addition, home repair assistance is available to homeowners only for uninsured or underinsured disaster-damaged items that make your home safe, secure, and habitable.
Households with damage to living spaces in a basement – including owner-occupied garden units – may also be eligible for FEMA assistance to help cover those losses.
When you apply for assistance, be sure to indicate the furnace and other essential electrical appliances damaged during the summertime flooding.
If you have already repaired or replaced the furnace, be prepared to provide FEMA with receipts. Otherwise, provide FEMA with valid estimates from certified contractors or suppliers.
If you discover your heating systems need replacing after you have already received a FEMA grant, you can use the FEMA appeals process to request additional assistance. To learn more about the process, visit www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/after-applying/appeals.
If you have yet to apply for FEMA assistance, go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov, call 800-621-3362, or use the FEMA App on your phone. If you use a video relay service or captioned telephone service. give FEMA your number for the service. For in-person assistance, visit a Disaster Recovery Center. The registration deadline is October 30, 2023.
For more information about the disaster recovery operation in Illinois, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4728.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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