Hurricane Matthew is in full force with requests of financial help, and the Federal Trade Commission advises that, besides the harm to people and property, hurricanes can also affect your finances.
The FTC has information to help you prepare for, deal with, and recover from the long-term impacts of a weather emergency, including these basics:
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- Have your financial documents up-to-date, accessible, and portable.
- Find out if your home, health, or other insurance policy will pay for temporary shelter, replacement clothing, furniture, or other items.
- Plan for your pets.
- Be alert to charity scams. Even if you live far away from the affected areas, you could be targeted by a charity scam. Urgent appeals for donations may not be on the up-and-up. Check out the charity with the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance(link is external), Charity Navigator(link is external), Charity Watch(link is external), or GuideStar(link is external).
For more tips and information, visit:
- Ready.gov
- FEMA’s Community and Family Preparedness Program and download the FEMA Smartphone App
- American Red Cross(link is external) Community Disaster Education and download Red Cross Mobile Apps(link is external)
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook(link is external), follow us on Twitter(link is external), read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
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Original article published on FTC.gov.
