The destructive wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area are already projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
Dozens of people have died or remain missing amid the wildfire outbreak that forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate from their homes, authorities say.
Some people on social media have argued that the federal government isn’t doing enough to help the victims of the wildfires in southern California.
Multipleviralposts imply that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is giving the victims just $770 in federal assistance. Some of the posts also compare the disaster relief spending to the government’s spending on foreign aid.
THE QUESTION
Is FEMA giving Los Angeles wildfire victims just $770?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, FEMA is not giving Los Angeles wildfire victims just $770.
WHAT WE FOUND
People impacted by the Los Angeles-area wildfires will receive a “one-time payment of $770 so they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula and prescriptions,” President Joe Biden announced on Monday, Jan. 13.
But contrary to what viral claims suggest, this is not the only form of disaster relief assistance offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Wildfire victims can also apply for and receive other forms of assistance.
The one-time payment of $770 that Biden referred to falls under a type of FEMA assistance called Serious Needs Assistance. This assistance is an “upfront, flexible payment for essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other serious disaster-related needs,” FEMA says.
But there are other forms of FEMA assistance that wildfire victims may qualify for once they apply for disaster assistance.
“As your application continues to be reviewed, you may still receive additional assistance for other needs such as support for temporary housing, personal property and home repair costs,” FEMA says on its website.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) also outlined other types of FEMA assistance apart from the $770 payments that can help cover costs.
This isn’t the first time that false claims about FEMA assistance in the wake of a disaster have circulated on social media. In October 2024, VERIFY debunked claims that FEMA was giving Hurricane Helene victims just $750, which was only the amount provided by the Serious Needs Assistance program.
California wildfire victims are getting $20 more than the Hurricane Helene victims because FEMA adjusts the maximum amount of financial assistance available each fiscal year based on inflation data. The current fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2024. The victims of Hurricane Milton received $770 payments since the natural disaster occurred after that date.
Serious Needs Assistance was one of two new disaster relief programs FEMA began offering in 2024 after it added new benefits and made it easier for disaster survivors to apply for help. The other new program is Displacement Assistance, which pays for a victim’s hotel or motel stay while they work on their long-term housing plan.
FEMA also offers many other programs for disaster relief, some of which include Home Repair/Replacement Assistance, Rental Assistance, Personal Property Assistance to repair or replace things like appliances and computers, Medical and Dental Assistance to cover the costs of disaster-related injuries, Funeral Assistance and Child Care Assistance.
Wildfire victims can apply for disaster relief through DisasterAssistance.gov (Spanish language version here), the FEMA app, FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers or by calling the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362.
Biden said on Jan. 13 that the federal government had already provided $5.1 million in federal aid to nearly 6,000 California wildfire survivors.
FEMA was running low on disaster money last year after Hurricane Helene plowed through several states in the Southeast.
But in December 2024, Congress passed a bill that provided $29 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. The agency says it currently has “enough funding to support recovery efforts in multiple areas,” including communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 as well as California.
Though some people online compared the federal government’s disaster relief spending to government spending on foreign aid, there’s no connection between the two.
“No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” the agency says on its website.
VERIFY digital journalist Emery Winter contributed to this report.