Red Cross to offer emergency financial assistance in New Smyrna Beach.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

American Red Cross is opening a service center at the Emmanuel New Smyrna Church of God at 815 Hamilton Street. 

The goal of the service center is to help residents apply for emergency financial assistance for homes severely impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. The site will be open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday until the program expires on December 19.

According to a release, the Red Cross provides financial assistance based on the household size to people whose homes were confirmed to have been destroyed or sustained structural damage from Hurricane Ian in September 2022 or Hurricane Nicole in November 2022.

Eligibility requirements for financial assistance are: 

• The applicant's pre-disaster primary residence (renter or homeowner) is in a confirmed disaster-impacted geographic area.
• The applicant is the primary client and is not listed as a household member on any other Red Cross assistance application.
• The applicant's primary home has qualifying damage as outlined below:
• Major damage is indicated by significant structural damage to a residence that requires extensive repairs and may include substantial failure of the roof, walls, foundation, or a water line above 18 inches in a living space.
• Destroyed residences must be a total loss or with damage so extensive that repair is not feasible.
• The applicant's identity and proof of residence must be verifiable.

Red Cross financial assistance is not a loan and does not need to be repaid.

Visit www.redcross.org/ian or call (800) 733-2767 to make an appointment, though walk-ins are also welcome. Please bring photo identification and proof of residency.