Hurricane devastation relief

Prior to hurricane Irma we did everything that we were supposed to, boarded up,  made sure kids were set, pet safety, stocked up on water, and most importantly having my father stay with us since he is a disabled vet that lives in a trailer.After/ during the storm we lost power (like most), stores were closed, as well as schools. I have 2 children of school age.
Explaining this to my boss (the no school/caring for my disabled father factor) didn't matter much since when i was able to return to work i was already fired.
Fema has denied my claim ( no clue why, when soooo many people who don't even need the money got a lot from them). There's nothing I can do about my job since I was technically an "independant contractor" in a barber shop. (And yes, a barbershop was worried about being open the day after a storm with most of the city power still out).