National Disaster

National Consumer Law Center

The National Consumer Law Center has great resources to help communities cope with financial devastation after a natural disaster strikes. Click here for resources on housing, mortgages, and bankruptcy. 

To help households, especially the most vulnerable, recover from financial devastation after a disaster strikes, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has also created a free Disaster Relief toolkit.

The online toolkit includes resources for families, advocates, and policymakers on:

• Obtaining mortgage relief;
• Getting short-term and longer-term federal student loan debt relief (English and Spanish);
• Avoiding home repair fraud (based on lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina);
• Identifying debt settlement scams (English and Spanish);
• Keeping households connected with utilities, including model utility consumer protections that states can adopt, an issue brief on helping low-income households with assistance in paying bills for heating and cooling, and an issue brief and fact sheet explaining how low-income households can remain connected with voice and broadband internet service; and
• Helping older consumers after a natural disaster (including tips on insurance benefits and obtaining assistance from FEMA).

Other Housing Resources

• Fannie Mae's Disaster Response Network
• NeighborWorks America & FDIC: Navigating the Road to Housing Recovery is a comprehensive guide to resources and steps to take for those affected by natural disasters.
• Housing, Mortgage, Bankruptcy, and Utilities Resources by the National Consumer Law Center
• Tips for Returning Home by FEMA
• How to Get Housing Help - Published by the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development
• HUD Disaster Resources - Maintained by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• List of Currently Open Red Cross Shelters maintained by the American Red Cross. 
• Cleaning Up After a Hurricane

Below is special information for mortgage holders and on foreclosure issues impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Note: Forbearances and a foreclosure moratorium may apply to you. Please contact your loan servicer or lawyer as soon as possible. Visit the Active Disaster Quick Links on the site for information on how to find legal assistance with mortgage and foreclosure issues. 

• Information from the VA for individuals with a VA loan whose homes have been impacted by a natural disaster.
• VA information on special relief available to VA loan holders affected by Hurricane Harvey.
• Press release: Freddie Mac to suspend all evictions and foreclosures in Hurricane Harvey major disaster area

Bankruptcy 

• Bankruptcy: Fresh Start After a Natural Disaster by the City Bar Justice Center
• You might qualify for legal assistance from Upsolve, a 501(c)(3) legal aid nonprofit. Upsolve is an online program focused on assisting low-income Americans through Chapter 7 bankruptcy at no cost. You can find more information about Upsolve by going to their website upsolve.org.