Savings Bond disaster relief programs

After a natural disaster, such as a major flood, fire, hurricane, or tornado, the Treasury sometimes implements emergency procedures in impacted areas. Residents of counties on the emergency procedure list can receive expedited replacement or payment of Savings Bonds.

In addition, the Treasury will allow those in impacted areas to redeem savings bonds that are less than 12 months old, which isn't normally allowed. However, the three-month interest penalty for redeeming before five years still applies.

Those who have lost bonds should complete Public Debt Form 1048, Claim for lost, stolen, or destroyed United States Savings Bonds. Bond owners should write the word DISASTER on the front of their envelopes to help expedite the processing of claims.

Open Programs

• None

Closed Programs

These programs were opened in 2008:

• Tennessee Tornados - available through the end of March 2008 in:
  • Tennessee: Hardin, Macon, Madison, Shelby and Sumner counties

These programs were opened in 2007:

• California Wildfires - available through the end of December 2007 in:
  • California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties
• Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin flooding - available through the end of October 2007 in:
  • Ohio: Allen, Crawford, Hancock, Putnam, Richland, and Wyandot counties
  • Oklahoma: Blaine, Caddo, and Kingfisher counties
  • Wisconsin: Crawford, La Crosse, Richland, Sauk, and Vernon counties
• Minnesota flooding - available through the end of October 2007 in:
  • Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties
• Midwestern tornadoes - available through the end of August 2007 in:
  • Kansas: Elk, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, and Wilson counties
  • Oklahoma: Ottawa and Washington counties
  • Texas: Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Grayson, Lampasas and Tarrant counties
• Kansas tornados - available through the end of June 2007 in:
  • Kiowa County
• Alabama & Georgia tornados - available through the end of April 2007 in:
  • Alabama: Coffee County
  • Georgia: Sumter County
• Florida tornados - available through the end of March 2007 in:
  • Lake, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties

These programs were opened in 2006:

• Flooding in the northeast - available through the end of August 2006 in the counties of:
  • New York: Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga, and Ulster
  • New Jersey: Hunterdon, Mercer, and Warren
  • Ohio: Cuyahoga, Erie, Huron, Lucas, Sandusky, and Stark
  • Pennsylvania: Berks, Bradford, Chester, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming
• Tennessee and Missouri storms - available through the end of May 2006 in the counties of:
  • Missouri: Pemiscot
  • Tennessee: Dyer, Gibson
  • any other counties declared disaster areas from these storms

These programs were opened in 2005:

• Hurricane Wilma - available through the end of November 2005 in:
  • Florida: Collier, Lee and Monroe

• Hurricane Rita - available through the end of November 2005 in:
  • Louisiana: Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vermilion
  • Texas: Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, and Tyler

• Hurricane Katrina - available through the end of October 2005 in:
  • Alabama: all counties that are declared disaster areas as a result of the storm
  • Florida: all counties that are declared disaster areas as a result of the storm
  • Louisiana: all parishes that are declared disaster areas as a result of the storm
  • Mississippi: all counties that are declared disaster areas as a result of the storm
  • other states: any county that is declared a disaster area as a result of the storm

• Hurricane Dennis - available through the end of August 2005 in:
  • Alabama: Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile
  • Florida: Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton

These programs were opened in 2004:

• Unnamed storms - available through the end of November 2004 in:
  • New York: Allegany, Broome, Columbia, Chenango, Delaware, Monroe, Orange, Onondaga, Steuben, Sullivan, Ulster, and Warren
  • New Jersey: Hunterdon, Mercer, Sussex, and Warren
  • Florida: Brevard, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia
• Hurricane Ivan, Hurrican Jeanne, and other storms - available through the end of October 2004 in:
  • Alabama: Baldwin, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Geneva, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington
  • Florida: Bay, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Citrus, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hernando, Highlands, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sumter, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington
  • Georgia: Carroll, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Early, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Madison, Rabun, Towns, Union, and White
  • Louisiana the parishes of: Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Tammany, and Terrebonne
  • Mississippi: George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Perry, Stone, and Wayne
  • North Carolina: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey
  • Ohio: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, and Washington
  • Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Blair, Butler, Centre, Clearfield, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Indiana, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Northampton, Perry, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Washington, Westmoreland, and Wyoming
  • Puerto Rico: Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Dorado, Florida, Guayama, Hatillo, Humacao, Isabela, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lares, Las Piedras, Loiza, Manati, Maunabo, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Salinas, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Villalba, and Yabucoa.
  • West Virginia: Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasant, Tyler, Wetzel and Wirt
• Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley - available through the end of September 2004 in:
  • Florida: Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, St. Johns, Sarasota, Seminole, and Volusia