Private Nonprofit Organizations may be Eligible for Disaster Aid

REISTERSTOWN, MD—Kenneth Mallette, Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, is urging all private nonprofit organizations who incurred costs from the severe storms and straight-line winds, which impacted Maryland beginning on June 29, 2012, to apply for disaster assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Public Assistance Program.

Here are some qualifiers to help determine eligibility:

1. Private nonprofit organizations must hold tax exempt status under Section 501 (c), (d) or (e) of the IRS Code or have State certification that your organization is a non-revenue producing nonprofit entity, organized or doing business under State law.
2. Organizations must have incurred costs related to the June storm.  These costs could be for debris removal and clean-up, emergency protective measures (emergency response services, evacuation) or permanent damage to your facility.
3. The service or facility being claimed must be open to the public.
4. The organization must provide essential government-like services, and be in a county designated under the Federal disaster declaration.  The designated areas are Calvert, Charles, Kent, Montgomery and St. Mary’s Counties and the Independent City of Baltimore.
5. Eligible damage must meet the $1,000 threshold.

If private nonprofit organizations feel they qualify and may be an eligible applicant, they should contact the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program office at 410-517-3604 or 1-877-636-2872.                                                      

 An Applicants’ Briefing will be held at the Rice Auditorium, located on the grounds of Spring Grove Hospital Center, 55 Wade Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228, on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Potential applicants are encouraged to attend.  The Request for Public Assistance (RPA) and PNP Questionnaire (attached) must be completed and received by the Maryland Emergency Management Agency by 09/01/2012.  Forms may be emailed to Kelly.devilbiss@maryland.gov or faxed to 410-517-3610.

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. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema.   Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion3.

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