Napa, Solano County Residents to Receive Federal Individual, Household Aid Following South Napa Earthquake

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that the Major Disaster declaration for the South Napa earthquake will also include the Individuals and Households Program under the Stafford Act. This amendment makes assistance available to help homeowners and renters recover from the earthquake.

“This is a very welcome announcement for those individuals that had their daily lives changed by this earthquake,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. “Additional federal resources like this program will be a huge help to everyone impacted, especially those struggling with major damages and limited personal resources.”

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and local, state and Congressional officials requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration as damages caused by the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that shook through most of Northern California mounted. In response, President Barack Obama declared a Major Disaster on Sept. 11. The Major Disaster Declaration allowed for public assistance to be available to state, tribal and eligible governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged during the earthquake. The Individuals and Households Program will provide assistance to residents in Napa and Solano Counties.

“We are glad to be able to assist individual households as well as state and local governments in recovering from this earthquake,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Stephen De Blasio. “We ask those Californians who sustained earthquake damage to get registered as quickly as possible.”

Gov. Brown declared a State of Emergency shortly after the earthquake, whose epicenter was near American Canyon and the City of Napa, and issued an executive order to provide additional financial assistance to local agencies and non-profit organizations.

Individuals who are interested in finding out more information about eligibility for the Individual and Households Program should call or register at 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585 or visit DisasterAssistance.gov.

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