Hurricane season is here again. The Atlantic season runs June through November and peaks between August and October, which means the safest time to prepare is right now, before a storm has a name.
Here's a hard truth most families don't learn until it's too late: after a disaster, FEMA and other relief programs won't just help you rebuild because you live there. You have to prove you own the home. A deed is the most common proof, but millions of families hold their homes as heirs' property, passed down informally without a clear title in the current owner's name. When the water rises, that missing paperwork can cost you everything.
We've seen it happen, storm after storm.
Katrina (2005). After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, roughly 20,000 families across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were denied federal assistance because they couldn't produce formal ownership documents. Read more →
Maria (2017). In Puerto Rico, where over half of homes are held informally, FEMA denied more than 77,000 households over proof-of-ownership issues. Families who had lived in their homes for decades, built on a handshake, were turned away again and again. Read the NPR story →
Helene (2024). When Helene tore through Appalachia, heirs' property owners across the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee faced the same barrier, scrambling for documents in the middle of a crisis. What survivors needed to know →
The good news: In September 2021, after years of advocacy, FEMA changed its rules. Heirs' property owners can now use a wider range of documents, and in some cases self-certify ownership to qualify for aid. See what changed →
That's a real step forward. But the families who recover fastest are the ones who gathered their proof before the storm, not the ones searching for a tax bill by flashlight.
Prepare now, while the skies are clear
Take fifteen minutes this week to pull together anything that shows the home is yours: a deed, property tax bill, mortgage statement, utility bill in your name, or a lease or land contract.
Save electronic copies somewhere you can reach from anywhere, and keep physical copies in a fireproof, waterproof spot. If you're missing documents, note what you need and where to request it. That list becomes your to-do for the season.
Not sure what FEMA accepts? Start with their Verifying Home Ownership or Occupancy page.