Recent recovery legislation leads the way for FEMA to support families that have been hit the hardest in the pandemic. On April 12, 2021, FEMA will begin to accept applications to provide funeral assistance to families who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19. Here is a link for program details: https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance
The CDC lists COVID-19 as the third leading cause of death in 2020 with heart disease and cancer as the first and second leading causes. A reported 375,000 people in the US died from the virus in 2020 and the death toll continues to rise over 555,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States to date. The funds available through FEMA could truly help families who are suffering economic stress due to the loss of a loved one.
The FEMA website lists criteria for eligible families and outlines what documents may be necessary for filing a claim.
The mission of FEMA is “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that, as a Nation, we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.” In studying emergency management and disaster recovery, one of the first lessons is “to support.” In brief, the underlying mission of FEMA is to ensure economic recovery of a region, state, and the nation in times of disaster. The funds available through FEMA could support families who are suffering additional financial strain due to the loss of a loved one.
