DELAWARE- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is giving eligible families in Delaware, Maryland, or any state up to $9,000.
Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium is helping people in Sussex County who may qualify and Vice President Andrew Parsell has noticed the toll COVID-19 has taken on grieving families.
"It really makes people realize how important life is and to love your friends, love your family, love your neighbor and respect the time that you have with them," Parsell said. "And it just brings that awareness to being safe and you know doing everything we can to work together as a community."
To qualify, the death must have happened in the United States which can be shown by the official death certificate. Receipts for expenses and any proof of money received from other places also need to be submitted.
The pandemic has changed the way lost lives are celebrated. President of the Delaware State Funeral Directors Association Bryan Clymer says the early stages were about adapting but the amount of services now are increasing.
"As we have gone through the pandemic and learned more, those services have increased in number and size," Clymer said. "We have also been able to adapt with things like technology such as live streaming to bring more people to the events and that's bringing the families great comfort."
The death of a loved one is hard to accept, but now an opportunity for relief can be the light that families have been looking for.
The application will open on Monday, April 12. FEMA will have a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Hotline that applicants can call to start the application process. The number is 844-684-6333. Additional information can be found at https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.