Vietnamese monk Tu Truong, 52, who said he came to the U.S. in 1993 through the Humanitarian Operation program, sits for a photo at his Buddhist temple in the Little Saigon neighborhood of Westminster, Calif., April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
7. Financial advisors8. Banking institutions
9. Neighborhood, civic, and house of worship contacts“Make sure you store important phone numbers somewhere besides just your cell phone,” FEMA advises.When you apply for disaster assistance, you may need to show proof of ID or income. You may also need to re-establish financial accounts if checks are destroyed or if online access is down.
Other records can help you prove the identity of household members, maintain or re-establish contact with family and friends, maintain contact with employers, and apply for other forms of assistance.If you don’t have an original version of a document listed above, contact the appropriate company or agency to request a copy. If you receive paper checks for any federal benefits, consider enrolling in automatic benefits, and if you receive paper checks from an employer, consider requesting direct deposit or prepaid debit cards.
FEMA also advises printing or downloading statements of any bills paid automatically, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, loan payments, and membership fees. Downloading banking and bill payment apps for your phone can also help you stay mobile in times of emergency.
Photographing or recording a video of the rooms in your home and any valuable belongings is also advisable as a form of record keeping.Everything in this new home is unsettling, even undignified. “We have no toilets,” Hassan said, and described having to go inside the hut while others collected his feces.
“Today, at least we have this,” Issack said, sitting on a foam mattress in a living space he could almost span by reaching out both hands.A loaded donkey cart arrived nearby, full of boys, the oldest with the reins. Their mothers walked beside it, carrying babies. As newcomers, they’ll sleep on the ground until they, too, receive a square drawn in the dust.
They were among 77 households who arrived at the camp on a single day.Somalis who have been displaced settle at a camp on the outskirts of Dollow, Somalia Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)