SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State and federal disaster assistance now totals $12.1 million for those affected by the South Napa Earthquake. The current total includes $5.6 million in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), as well as $6.5 million in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
A recap of the disaster recovery operation by the numbers, as of Nov. 16:
Households Registered: 3,142
Total Grants Approved: $5,670,654
• Housing Assistance Grants: $5,397,952
• Other Needs Assistance Grants: $272,702
SBA Loans Approved: 145
• Home Loans: 142
• Business Loans: 3
Total SBA Loans: $6,525,500
Disaster Recovery Centers:
• Napa Earthquake Local Assistance Center – 301 First Street, Napa, CA 94559
• Solano County Disaster Recovery Center – 1155 Capitol Street, Vallejo, CA 94590
Center Visitors: 1,444
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat., until further notice. Closed Nov. 27-28.
FEMA Inspections Completed: 2,592
Homeowners and renters in Napa and Solano Counties who had damage from the South Napa Earthquake have until Dec. 29, 2014 to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA. Disaster assistance includes grants to help pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other sources.
Low-interest disaster loans are also available from the 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.
Disaster recovery officials urge those who registered with FEMA and received an SBA loan application to complete and return the application. Doing so will ensure the applicants are considered for the full range of disaster assistance that may be available to them.
SBA serves as the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps fund repair or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.
Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000—with interest rates as low as 2.063 percent—for the repair or replacement of their primary residence not fully compensated by insurance. Homeowners and renters may also borrow up to $40,000 with interest rates as low as 2.063 percent for replacement of personal property, including vehicles.
Businesses and nonprofits may apply to borrow up to $2 million for the following:
• Business Physical Disaster Loans—Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private, non-profit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities, etc., are also eligible.
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) –Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.
Homeowners and renters who apply for an SBA loan and are declined, as well as those who are not issued a loan application, may be referred to the FEMA Other Needs Assistance (ONA) grant program. Homeowners and renters must return the SBA application, if they receive one, to be considered for ONA.
ONA provides reimbursements for personal property losses, vehicle repair or replacement, moving and storage fees, and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources. FEMA provides 75 percent of the funding for ONA, and Cal OES provides 25 percent.
To apply for assistance, register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or VRS may call 800-621-3362.
Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA Helpline/Registration. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages. Phone lines remain open 7 a.m to 10 p.m. (PT) Sun.-Sat. until further notice.
Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) Teams
Two six-person DSA teams continue to visit quake-damaged communities. The teams include eight young adults – ages 18 to 24 – from FEMA Corps, who work alongside FEMA employees to help communities recover from disasters. On assignment in Napa and Solano counties, the teams are stationed at community centers or walking door-to-door to speak to residents and business owners.
To date, DSA teams have registered 151 residents, updated 101 FEMA applications, completed 170 case inquiries and referred 252 people to other community resources.
Apply to Qualify
To be eligible for federal disaster assistance—such as disaster grants and loans—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.
Those who suspect someone of engaging in unscrupulous activity should call the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721. Complaints may also be made to local law enforcement agencies.
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.
For more information on the California disaster recovery, go to 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 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.
