Wearing a FEMA windbreaker and holding a stack of pamphlets, Mekelle Aviles knocks on the door of a home in Madison, just a few blocks away from Nesbitt Lane, where tornados tore through several homes earlier this month and left three dead.

“Hi, how are you?” she asks, “We were just canvasing the neighborhood, making sure everybody’s all right regarding the recent disaster. Did you happen to have any damages to your home or to your personal property?”

After a natural disaster, FEMA sends in people from all over the United States to respond. Aviles is from Puerto Rico. When Hurricane Maria hit, she was working at a hotel, where she witnessed firsthand how FEMA responded to the disaster. That inspired her to make a career change.

Now, she’s in Nashville as part of a Disaster Survivor Assistance team to help people impacted by the recent storms to sign up for FEMA assistance, which includes everything from money to help with home repairs to low interest loans for small businesses and nonprofits.

As of Dec. 25, FEMA had approved 232 applications for individual assistance and paid out $1.1 million. The storm on Dec. 9 included seven tornadoes. The winds killed seven Tennesseans and injured more than 80 others, as well as damaging hundreds of structures.

Answer the phone

After the deadly tornadoes that hit Middle Tennessee earlier this month, FEMA and their state counterpart, TEMA, have set up a variety of options for people trying to sign up for assistance. You can call their helpline (1800-621-3362), go online or go in person to one of the disaster recovery centers the agency has set up across the Middle Tennessee area.

Yolanda Jackson, the FEMA coordinating officer leading recovery efforts, said they also have people making calls to homes in the impacted areas.

“You might get a call from somebody while you’re eating dinner or you’re doing something with the kids or your partner, and it might be from a number that you don’t recognize,” she said, “Just answer the phone! It could be us calling to say, ‘Hey, we’re in your neighborhood. We’d like to come and set an appointment to see your home or see your damages.’”

Jackson added that they want as many eligible people as possible to sign up for assistance, but that it can be hard to get the message out, especially around the holiday season.

“It’s so important for the community to to start recovery, to start rebuilding, to get back to be sustainable,” she said.

Door to door

Even though there are several remote options, going door to door is still crucial, explained FEMA spokesperson Issa Mansaray.

“Disaster Survival Assistance brings the application process directly to those that are not able to go to the disaster recovery center,” he said, “No one is left behind.”

Mansaray said that’s especially important for older adults, people with disabilities and people without reliable transportation.

Note: if someone does knock on your door, it’s important to remember that FEMA staff and housing inspectors always carry official photo identification, and they never ask for money.