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              OpenFEMA
                          OpenFEMA

                      Frequently Asked Questions
                  
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
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          OpenFEMA Frequently Asked Questions
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This page offers answers to frequently asked questions about OpenFEMA.



Answers to Frequently Asked Questions



Use the dropdown menu to filter by the type of question, or type in a keyword.
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      I have heard I can access any government records through the FOIA process, is that true?
No, even under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process, certain release exemptions still apply. A more thorough description of the specific exemptions and exclusions for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are available here: https://www.dhs.gov/foia-exemptions.



Decisions to withhold or redact information in FOIA requests is adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. Broadly speaking however, redaction and withholding can be permitted where the potential harm to an individual, protected entity, or national security would outweigh the potential benefits of release to the general public.



For the purposes of requesting FEMA Program data via FOIA, this means that records containing privileged or sensitive information are often eligible for redaction prior to release, unless consent to release has been secured by the requestor.
    When are the datasets updated?
Many of the disaster files are updated every 20 minutes.Daily files are processed at 1:00pm EST.Weekly files are processed on Saturday at 1:00am EST and are generally available by Sunday at 4:00am EST.Monthly files are processed the first Saturday of the month at 1:00am EST.Exceptions do exist. Several files have an irregular update schedule.
    Using the API seems daunting. I am not a programmer. Where can I go for help?
Once you understand the basics of the API and its parameters, querying the API is easy and can be done through the browser. We have detailed tutorials in our OpenFEMA GitHub repository.
    Which datasets include FEMA grant amounts related to COVID-19 awarded to hospitals and medical centers in FY21?
The Public Assistance Applicants Program Deliveries and the Public Assistance Funded Projects Details datasets provide the FEMA grant amounts related to COVID-19.
    Where can I find data regarding hurricane impacts on specific businesses and business types?
FEMA does not offer assistance to small businesses impacted by a presidentially declared disaster. However, the Small Business Administration (SBA), which offers low interest loans for business damages has SBA Disaster Loan data.
    How can records be identified for specific incidents such as Hurricane Ida or Hurricane Sandy?
The disaster number will relate to the incident. A list of disasters and disaster names are available in the OpenFEMA dataset FEMA Web Disaster Declarations.
    The Individuals and Households Program Valid Registrations dataset includes Roof Damage Amounts, Repair Amounts, etc. Where can I find what was actually paid out. Are total IA payouts publicly available information?
Not all "Amount" values are actual payouts. The rental, replacement, and repair amounts are the award amounts. The "Total Approved IHP Amount" field is the Total IA award. The reports for Individuals and Households Program and Housing Assistance Program Data provide this data.
    Some water level values reported at inspection seem unbelievable (too high). What might explain this?
There may be inspector errors, but some high values are legitimate. For instance, values for flood height may include measures for dwelling types of boats. Boat dwellings that have sunk to the bottom of a lake may be recorded as an estimate of the deepest lake depth.
    What is the highest resolution for IA registration points? Is it possible to get access to individual registration data?
Individual Assistance records are not available at the registration level to protect Personally identifiable information (PII). Geolocation data identifying a specific individual is considered personal information as well. To protect PII, OpenFEMA sets the minimum geographically aggregated values as x >5.
    Is there award data by state/national for Other Assistance (Lost Wages Assistance, Crisis Counseling, Disaster Unemployment, Funeral Assistance)?
This data is not available in OpenFEMA data and would have to be requested through the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act (FOIA).
  
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Last updated April 10, 2023

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