One Week Left to Apply for South Napa Earthquake Disaster Assistance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Individuals and business owners in Napa and Solano counties who had damages or losses as a result of the South Napa Earthquake have one week left to register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Officials with FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) urge anyone who still needs help to register before the deadline – Dec. 29, 2014.

After serving more than 2,700 homeowners, renters and business owners who had damages from the South Napa Earthquake, FEMA’s presence at the Napa Earthquake Local Assistance Center at 301 1st St. in Napa will conclude at 6 p.m. on Mon., Dec. 29. But help is still available in person, online and over the phone.

Until then, the Local Assistance Center will operate on its existing schedule: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. In observance of Christmas, however, the center will also be closed Dec. 24-26.

Disaster assistance includes grants for homeowners and renters to help pay for rent, essential home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other sources.

FEMA offers three ways to register for disaster assistance: log on to DisasterAssistance.gov, screen tap m.fema.gov on a smartphone or tablet, or call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or VRS may call 800-621-3362.

Phone lines remain open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (PST) seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual phone operators are available in 93 various languages to take registrations, answer questions about disaster assistance, or check the status of an application. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

Low-interest disaster loans are also available from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations. Disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

For more information about disaster loans, applicants may call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or (TTY) 800-877-8339, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may go to https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela to file an electronic SBA loan application.

To be eligible for federal disaster assistance, at least one member of a household must be a U.S. citizen, Qualified Alien or non-citizen national with a Social Security number. Disaster assistance may be available to a household if a parent or guardian applies on behalf of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen or a Qualified Alien. FEMA will only need to know the immigration status and Social Security number of the child.

Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Social Security Disability Insurance.

For unmet disaster-related needs, the United Way operates 2-1-1 that covers Napa and Solano Counties. Available 24/7 in 150 languages, the Bay Area 211 helpline connects callers with hundreds of programs to help people find food, housing, healthcare, senior services, childcare, legal aid and more.

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For more information on the California disaster recovery, go to http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4193.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) protects lives and property, builds capabilities and supports our communities for a resilient California. Cal OES achieves its mission by serving the public through effective collaboration in preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating the impacts of all hazards and threats.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.