Time is Limited for Governments to Request Federal Assistance for Derecho Damage

RICHMOND, Va. — Time is limited for state and local officials, county agencies and certain private nonprofit organizations in Virginia to submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) for federal disaster funds that can support the recovery from the derecho and severe storms of late June, 2012.

The deadline to submit the one-page RPA is Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 for the counties and cities of the commonwealth included in the original disaster declaration.

The counties are: Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Frederick, Giles, Greene, Halifax, Highland, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Nelson, New Kent, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Tazewell, and Warren.

The cities are Bedford, Charlottesville, Covington, Danville, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Manassas Park, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, and Winchester cities.

The deadline is Sept. 13, 2012 for the municipalities included in an amendment to the declaration: Franklin, Montgomery, Smyth and Stafford counties and the cities of Buena Vista, Falls Church and Harrisonburg.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management Agency (VDEM), with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has conducted three applicant briefings for officials in the 51 counties and 18 cities included in the declaration. The briefings address application procedures, administrative requirements, funding and program eligibility.

Public officials and other eligible applicants who were unable to attend the applicant briefings and want to file an RPA may call VDEM at (804) 935-5556 or (804) 335-8755 to submit their RPAs before the approaching deadlines.

Following the applicant briefings, kickoff meetings are held with the individual applicants to identify and review their specific jurisdiction’s needs. To date, approximately 70 kickoff meetings have been held and more than 75 RPAs have been received.

The kickoff meeting is an important early step in the process of receiving federal assistance.

FEMA provides 75 percent of the approved costs for eligible work.

Eligible work may include debris removal, emergency protective measures (such as overtime for police, fire and medical services), road and bridge repair, and repair and restoration of public utilities, buildings, and recreational facilities.

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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