Indiana storm survivors face Sunday deadline to apply for FEMA aid

Hoosiers whose homes were damaged in the August storms that swept across Indiana have until Sunday, Oct. 25, to apply for federal disaster assistance, state emergency officials said in their latest update.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said in an update posted Oct. 22 that the deadline for FEMA Individual Assistance is Oct. 25. The same date is the cutoff for returning Small Business Administration loan applications for physical property damage.

As of Oct. 20, FEMA had paid out or allocated $151 million in Individual Assistance and approved more than 35,490 applications, according to the state agency. Separately, $23.1 million had been paid to National Flood Insurance Program policyholders as of Oct. 16.

What happened

On Aug. 11, a line of thunderstorms moved from Illinois into northwest and north-central Indiana, bringing straight-line winds, tornadoes, hail and flash flooding. The Storm Prediction Center preliminarily classified the system as a derecho, state officials said. Some areas received 6 to 9 inches of rain, and power outages peaked at more than 300,000.

The state reported seven disaster-related deaths as of Aug. 28.

Gov. Mike Braun asked President Donald Trump for a major disaster declaration on the evening of Aug. 20, and it was approved Aug. 25, according to IDHS. Both Individual Assistance, which helps households, and Public Assistance, which reimburses governments and some nonprofits, were approved. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan welcomed the approval the next day, noting that eligible residents of Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties could apply.

Who is eligible

Individual Assistance was first made available in 21 counties: Carroll, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Porter, Pulaski, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union and Wayne. On Sept. 25, homeowners and renters in Cass, Pike and Putnam counties were added, the state agency said.

Residents can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362, according to Sen. Todd Young’s office. FEMA cannot pay for losses already covered by insurance, so residents are advised to file insurance claims first, Rep. Victoria Spartz’s office noted.

In-person assistance events were scheduled throughout this week in several affected counties, including Lake, Marion, Delaware, Madison, Porter, Putnam and Wayne, with the last listed event set for Sunday, Oct. 25, in St. John, according to IDHS.

Other deadlines

Several other programs remain open past Sunday:

• Disaster Unemployment Assistance, for workers whose jobs were lost or interrupted by the storms, must be filed by Oct. 27, according to IDHS.
• SBA economic injury loans for businesses and nonprofits have a May 25, 2027, deadline.
• The State Disaster Relief Fund offers grants of up to $5,000 for eligible households, according to the governor’s office. The governor’s page says people who apply for state relief must also apply with FEMA.

The Internal Revenue Service also postponed various federal tax deadlines to Feb. 1, 2027, for affected individuals and businesses in the declared counties. The IRS updated that notice on Oct. 8 to add more counties.

Officials have warned residents about fraud. IDHS says it never charges people to apply for the State Disaster Relief Fund, and suspected FEMA fraud can be reported to the agency, according to the state page.