DUPONT, Wash. – After two record-breaking wildfire seasons burned over 1.6 million acres of the Evergreen State, Washington continues to make headway in its recovery, which may be spurred by $170 million in federal disaster assistance, according to officials with the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division (EMD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Help comes from friends, family and neighbors, as well as local, state and federal governments,” said State Coordinating Officer Kurt Hardin of EMD. “Progress improves when everyone works together.”

Last year in Washington, FEMA issued 12 Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) declarations, which will help local, state and tribal jurisdictions pay their firefighting and suppression expenses. Whether day or night, if a fire rages on nonfederal land and threatens to cause enough destruction to warrant a major disaster declaration, FEMA can make an immediate FMAG declaration.

The federal share of those 12 FMAGs may add up to $53 million. With $42 million for the eight FMAGs in 2014, the grand total equals $95 million for 20 FMAGs over two years.

Both wildfire seasons prompted an emergency declaration, which authorized FEMA to provide direct assistance for measures needed to save lives, protect property, and safeguard public health and safety.

Major disaster declarations after both wildfire seasons provide financial relief through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) grants, which reimburses local, state and tribal governments for 75 percent of their disaster-related expenses. The state and the applicant split the remaining 25 percent.

The major disaster declaration for the 2015 wildfires made PA available to eligible applicants in eight counties: Chelan, Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Whatcom and Yakima; as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The 2014 declaration made PA available to applicants in Kittitas and Okanogan counties and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Officials estimate PA grants for both wildfire seasons will run as high as $50 million—which includes about $26.5 million for 2015, with $4.8 million approved to date, and $23.6 million for 2014.

Although the funds go to government entities and nonprofits, Public Assistance benefits everyone— communities, cities and states. PA dollars help pay for efforts to keep people and property safe, clean up disaster-related debris, and put roads, utilities and public works back in order after the wildfires.

“FEMA serves as only one part of the wildfire recovery team,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Thomas Dargan of FEMA. “Many local, corporate, state, tribal and federal partners have pitched in and pulled together to help Washington recover.”

Besides the $145 million in FEMA grants listed above, another $25.6 million from this preliminary roundup of partners puts federal assistance past $170 million:

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) allocated more than $1.5 million in loans and grants to replant trees, restore grazing lands, replace lost livestock, repair damaged fences, and help pay for uninsured crop losses as a result of the 2015 wildfires. FSA set aside another $17 million to reimburse eligible landowners in Okanogan County 75 percent of the cost to replace more than 850 miles of destroyed fences. USDA Rural Development placed four families in multi-family housing projects in Okanogan and Chelan Counties, providing almost $10,000 in rental assistance and interest credit to the projects.
  • Washington State Department of Commerce manages a competitive grant program that helps rural cities and counties tackle a wide range of serious challenges. Funding comes from annual Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For wildfire recovery in 2015, Commerce awarded $2.1 million in CDBGs, notably $1 million to Okanogan County to expand the fire district’s emergency medical services facility and $1 million to the city of Brewster to construct an essential water reservoir for fire protection. Commerce is making an additional $4 million in CDBG funds available to help smaller disaster-affected communities—such as Entiat, Pateros and Twisp—leverage matching funds for essential facilities and services.
  • The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $1.08 million in low-interest disaster loans for loss or damage from the 2015 wildfires: six loans for nearly $700,000 to help residents repair or replace their disaster-damaged homes and personal property; and five loans for more than $380,000 to help small-business owners meet working capital needs.

While corporate contributions are too numerous to capture or count, corporate partners have made generous donations to wildfire survivors. As one example, the American Red Cross received $600,000 from corporate leaders and well-known businesses in Washington—including Boeing, Microsoft, Costco Wholesale, Amazon, Alaska Airlines, Puget Sound Energy, Weyerhaeuser, Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Madrona Venture Group, according to the Boeing website.

On behalf of the state, EMD administers FEMA disaster programs in Washington—such as FMAGs, Public Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)—and disburses funds to local, city, nonprofit, county, state and tribal applicants.

The major disaster declarations after both wildfire seasons made HMGP funds available statewide, which will build stronger and safer communities in Washington. Two more factors bolster that goal:

  • Because EMD developed an enhanced State Mitigation Plan approved by FEMA in 2006, the state will get more money for mitigation measures, equal to 20 percent of total PA grants awarded for each disaster. For the 2015 wildfires, statewide HMGP funds will total as much as $6.3 million. For the 2014 wildfires, statewide HMGP funds will be close to $5 million.
  • Under a new pilot program in HMGP, Washington may receive as much as $5.3 million in additional FEMA grants for projects aimed at reducing the risk of post-event fires, floods or erosion in the seven counties that received FMAG declarations in 2015.

Local partners remain crucial to the long-term recovery of residents who had uninsured losses from the fires. Community leaders in northern Washington, for example, formed the Carlton Complex Long-Term Recovery Group (CCLTRG) to address unmet needs caused by the 2014 Carlton Complex Fire, which was the largest fire in state history in the biggest county in the state—Okanogan County.

In addition to offering basic disaster services, CCLTRG leaders set their sights on building homes for displaced families who could not afford to rebuild. They knew new home construction would:

  • prop up the community,
  • strengthen the region’s tax base, and
  • support its local farm, timber and ranching economies.

While Okanogan County struggled to recover from the physical, emotional and economic toll of the 2014 Carlton Complex Fire, the 2015 wildfire season scorched more than 1 million acres in north, central and eastern Washington. The 2015 Okanogan Complex fire alone burned more than a half-million acres—now crowned the largest in state history.

To aid in recovery, liaisons from EMD and FEMA helped CCLTRG identify potential funding sources and guided leaders on how to build and strengthen the organization. CCLTRG expanded its reach to become the Okanogan County Long-Term Recovery Group (OCLTRG) and broadened its mission to include boosting the county’s preparedness and resiliency to future disasters.

Today OCLTRG acts as an umbrella organization, advising other long-term recovery groups from distinct areas of north-central Washington and pooling resources. Leaders steer a workforce that includes hundreds of volunteers and dozens of charities and faith-based groups who help people—whether it’s finding furniture for a farmworker who lost everything in the fires or helping a rancher round up and pen his surviving cattle.

OCLTRG has built 15 modest homes and plans to build another 15 homes by the end of 2017. When possible, the builders use fire-resistant materials, clear underbrush, and landscape to create an open, defensible space around each house, which may provide some protection against future wildfires.

All totaled, the OCLTRG has raised more than $4.2 million in cash, checks and online contributions to the North Central Washington Community Foundation/Methow Valley Fund.

“Given its success and strong leadership, OCLTRG now serves as a national model to help other rural communities recover from wildfires,” said FCO Dargan. “I commend its leaders and their absolutely tireless efforts to build back a stronger and more resilient community.”

Continue reading: 

Wildfire Recovery Update: Federal Disaster Assistance May Surpass $170 Million

Disaster Recovery Center will have assistance for survivors with disabilities, seniors and families next week

Main Content

Release date:

September 24, 2015

Release Number:

DR-4235-CNMI-0033

SAIPAN, CNMI – The Disability Network Partners on Saipan will be at the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Susupe on Sept. 28-30. They will be there to provide extra technical support and resources to individuals with disabilities, senior citizens and their families who are seeking FEMA and or other disaster assistance. They will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is within but not the same hours that the DRC is open.
Representatives from one or more of these groups will be available at the DRC:
-The Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD)
-The University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
-The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)
-The Center for Living Independently (CLI)
-The Independent Living Group (ILG)
-State Rehabilitation Council (SRC), Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
-The Autism Society of the CNMI (ASCNMI)
-The Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc. (NMPASI)
-The VOICES Self Advocacy Group of the CNMI
-The Commonwealth Respite Service Program (CRSP)
-The Trankilu Alternative Financing Program (TAFP)
-The Commonwealth Coalition on Anti-Stigma of Mental Illness (CAMI).
-The CNMI Office of Transportation Authority (COTA)
-Commonwealth Advocates for Relief Efforts (C.A.R.E.)
Anyone needing reasonable accommodation at any time, please call 235-7273/4 or visit NMPASI.

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.

Last Updated:

September 25, 2015 – 14:28

State/Tribal Government or Region:

Source: 

Disaster Recovery Center will have assistance for survivors with disabilities, seniors and families next week

Guidance for Old Town Galena Residents on FEMA Decision Regarding Permanent Construction

Main Content

Release date:

September 5, 2013

Release Number:

FS-004

Because of the continuous threat posed by flood and ice to residents and property in Old Town Galena, FEMA has decided federal funds will not be used to rebuild permanently in Old Town. The decision, supported by our State of Alaska partner, will help ensure that FEMA funds are directed to helping Galena grow stronger and safer for the future. This fact sheet outlines the types of work that will and will not be covered by FEMA and our affiliated agencies in Old Town.

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program can provide:

  • Assistance dollars directly to households to repair their home
  • Assistance dollars directly to households to pay rental assistance (only available if applicant does not choose any type of direct assistance)

OR

  • FEMA purchases repair materials, and households ship and perform repairs
  • FEMA purchases and ships repair materials, and households perform repairs

Additionally:

  • Emergency assistance work (muck out and gut homes, and minor debris removal) performed by AmeriCorps can continue
  • Repairs currently happening by FEMA-sponsored voluntary organizations can proceed

FEMA’s Public Assistance program can provide:

  • Assistance awards to help reimburse the city of Galena for the cost of emergency measures, including debris removal and establishing emergency access, restoring power, etc.

NFIP insurance can be provided in Old Town:

  • No limitations other than requirements outlined in individual standard flood insurance policy; will require an elevation certificate in the SFHA or “A” flood zone
  • If eligible, and there is room within the Individual Assistance award cap, a certificate for the 3-year Group Flood Insurance Policy (GFIP)

Others may assist in Old Town:

  • Non-FEMA entities are not subject to these limitations
  • Individuals can contract labor or repairs
  • Volunteers not sponsored by FEMA are not prevented from assisting with repairs
  • Other federal, state, tribal or local agencies and organizations can still assist at their discretion

FEMA cannot provide:

  • FEMA-funded permanent infrastructure repair
  • FEMA-funded direct contract repairs to structures
  • FEMA-sponsored voluntary agency (UMVIM, Disciples of Christ, etc.) repair work to structures going forward
  • FEMA-funded rebuilding of homes and infrastructure
  • FEMA-funded relocation or elevation of homes and infrastructure

Last Updated:

September 13, 2013 – 12:51

State/Tribal Government or Region:

Related Disaster:

Originally from: 

Guidance for Old Town Galena Residents on FEMA Decision Regarding Permanent Construction

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Community leaders from areas hit hard by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee met in Sayre on Saturday, April 27, 2013 to discuss best practices, challenges and objectives for moving forward as their towns continue to rebuild. The collaboration is an initiative to keep local organizations strong and growing in the direction of continued recovery.   

The four-hour-long meeting was hosted by Futurescapes. The Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that grew out of the Rebuild Athens Steering Committee, which was established to develop a long-term community recovery plan after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. Futurescapes was formed in 2012.

“As our long-term recovery group moves beyond the first year of operation, we are seeking a partnership with other volunteers in communities rebuilding after the 2011 flooding. On Saturday, we gained insights on some specific challenges that communities are facing. By sharing our combined experiences, we hope participants came away from the conference with renewed energy and armed with specific information and resources to help them move forward in their recovery process,” said Linda Spagnoli, a Futurescapes board member.

Spagnoli joined 19 other volunteers, as well as county and Commonwealth emergency managers in the roundtable-style discussion. The conversation was moderated by Community Recovery Specialist SheaBrianna Christilaw with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“While all of you were impacted at the same time by the same storm, your roads to recovery have been very different,” Christilaw said. “Some of you are in the process of completing long-term recovery plans, while others published plans as long as one year ago.”

Many of the groups are in the process of securing tax exemption status from the Internal Revenue Service, a designation that will substantially augment their ability to secure further recovery funding.

“We are working to acquire tax exempt status,” said Shickshinny Forward President Brian Phillips.     

From new biking and hiking trails that will help areas regain their recreational resources to websites that will boost communication channels, each community is striving to accomplish projects. In many cases, funding will be required. The group highlighted the need for building and developing strong local partnerships.   

In West Pittston, volunteers are helping with the development of a website for West Pittston Tomorrow, a nonprofit group that residents established to help rebuild. 

“Right now, we are in the process of deciding how to format information and what information should be included,” said West Pittston Tomorrow President Judy Aita.

Organizations from both sides of the New York and Pennsylvania state borders are among the communities participating in the collaboration, which includes participants from Athens, Shickshinny and West Pittston in Pennsylvania and Nichols, Owego and Tioga in New York.

The following organizations were also represented at the meeting: Ashburn Advisors, the Bradford County Emergency Management Agency, the New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the Tioga (N.Y.) County Emergency Management Agency and the Tioga (N.Y.) County Planning Department.   

“These communities are working together to share their successes, build a network of peers, and brainstorm solutions to common challenges,” Christilaw said.

Futurescapes is currently analyzing feedback to strategize the next steps that should be taken to continue the collaborative approach. Ideas about locations and times of the next in-person meeting with community leaders will be planned based on information captured in survey results.

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.

Excerpt from – 

Community Leaders Collaborate in Sayre to Discuss Best Practices and Challenges of Long-Term Recovery from Irene and Lee

WARWICK, RI–Spring is just around the corner, and it is the ideal time to start home repairs. For many Rhode Islanders, this year’s springtime repairs include repairing damages from Hurricane Sandy, the Blizzard of 2013, or other severe weather events.

Rhode Islanders who sustained damages from recent severe weather events can call 2-1-1 for a referral to a Long Term Recovery Group or to other disaster aid resources. Information about smart and safe rebuilding is available on the FEMA website, according to FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer James N. Russo

Two key partners in the long-term recovery process are community organizations and faith-based groups. Faith-based groups report that they continue to receive requests for assistance from storm survivors who are struggling to find their “new normal”. 

“We urge anyone who is tackling storm repairs to consider the fact that it costs less to prepare your home for future storms and flooding than it does to repair damage after it has happened,” Russo said.

FEMA has a library of information with techniques to make property safer and stronger at www.fema.gov/protect-your-property-or-business-disaster.

Find tweets about Sandy recovery at www.twitter.com/femaregion1. For Rhode Island specific information go to http://www.fema.gov/sandyri. Other online resources include https://twitter.com/FEMASandy and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/FEMASandy and http://blog.fema.gov.

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.

Link: 

Rhode Island Looking Toward Long-Term Disaster Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. As Louisianians continue to recover from Hurricane Isaac, some of their needs may go beyond the scope of assistance from the state or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That’s when community-based long-term recovery groups can help, providing what hurricane survivors most often need: money, materials and manpower.

With support and guidance from FEMA and the state, long-term recovery groups are working vigorously in 15 parishes. Formed from a multiple-parish network of nonprofits, voluntary agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations, these recovery groups are assessing the longer-term needs of individual hurricane survivors and connecting them to assistance.

Some of the groups were in place even before Hurricane Katrina while others formed after that storm. They were all able to act after Hurricane Isaac and will continue to do so for months or even years. Other parishes have groups that are under development or forming now.

“Long-term recovery groups are an integral part of the whole-community approach to recovery,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of FEMA. “The volunteers who make up these groups are working hard to take Hurricane Isaac survivors through the last steps in their recovery.”

Staff and volunteers from some of the groups are helping clear debris that remains at hurricane-damaged homes, while others are recruiting volunteers and staff.  Some groups have programs to help survivors pay utility bills or obtain help with everyday necessities such as clothing, appliances and furniture.

Specific efforts include:

  • The Benevolent Rural Alliance for Cultural and Environmental Strategies (BRACES) operates in eight parishes. One of the group’s initiatives is a veterans’ building and repair assistance program.
  • Northshore Disaster Recovery in St. Tammany Parish is repairing hurricane-damaged homes, funded, in part, with money raised from fundraising efforts in other states.
  • A new long-term committee has formed in St. John Parish where many of the members themselves sustained damage and loss in the August storm. Subcommittees include volunteer and donation coordination and construction and clean up.
  • The South Louisiana Long-Term Recovery Committee (SOLA) has been active since 1993 and is currently operating in Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes. Among SOLA’s efforts is the revitalization in St. Mary Parish of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group, which has not been active for seven years.
  • Formed in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery (CPR) is made up of local nonprofit and faith-based groups. CPR, with technical assistance from FEMA, is training local churches on how to perform case management. CPR and the parish government have a memorandum of understanding that designates CPR as the primary point of contact for voluntary organizations and nonprofits for response and recovery after a disaster.

In each case, Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) from FEMA and the state helped to organize the groups, and VALs continue to support them by, for example, providing training for services such as case management.

“VALs prepare the recovery groups to help survivors rebuild their lives,” said Mark Davis, supervisor of FEMA’s VAL group in Louisiana. “Their work makes a community whole again, one household, one neighborhood at a time.”

Survivors who wish to contact a long-term recovery group and are not already connected with an agency in their community may visit Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster at www.lavoad.org or contact their parish officials.

Following is a list of groups and the locations they are serving:

Long-Term Recovery Group

Parish/City Served

Benevolent Rural Alliance for Cultural and Environmental Strategies (BRACES)

 

St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, Livingston, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. John and St. Helena

Committee for Plaquemines Recovery

Plaquemines

Crescent Alliance Recovery Effort

Orleans

Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Helena, St. Tammany, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, and Washington

Jefferson Disaster Recovery Committee

Jefferson

Madisonville Relief Effort

City of Madisonville

Northshore Disaster Recovery Inc.

St. Tammany

St. John Parish Long-Term Recovery Group

St. John

South Louisiana Long-Term Recovery Committee

Lafourche, St. Mary, Terrebonne, and Town of Grand Isle

St. Bernard Resource Committee

St. Bernard

Washington Emergency Recovery Cadre

Washington

 

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

Originally posted here – 

Local Groups Making Long-Term Commitment to Louisiana’s Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. — After receiving federal assistance for past disaster-declared storms and hurricanes, thousands of Louisianians were required to purchase flood insurance policies through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs. In the Hurricane Isaac disaster, FEMA is reaching out to survivors who let those policies lapse.

The insurance policy, issued under a FEMA Group Flood Insurance Policy, is a three-year, nonrenewable, group flood policy funded by a portion of the survivor’s FEMA grant money. After the policy expires, renters and homeowners are required to purchase and maintain a flood insurance policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to continue their insurance protection.

Applicants who did not maintain the required flood insurance coverage for their previously damaged homes are not eligible for disaster loans or grants to repair that same property after Hurricane Isaac.

Survivors may, however, still be eligible for grants to pay for rental assistance, other serious disaster-related expenses and Transitional Sheltering Assistance, which may allow families to stay in a hotel for a limited period of time.

“FEMA and our partners in the community may have some programs to help Louisianians who were not able to keep flood insurance coverage for properties damaged during previous storms,” said Mike Hall, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer. “We encourage you to register and find what assistance is available to you.”

FEMA recently opened a Hurricane Isaac Flood Insurance Call Center for use by storm survivors who have questions or concerns about flood insurance or flood insurance adjusters. The toll-free number is 1-866-331-1679. The call center is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Currently, more than 486,000 Louisianians have flood insurance protection, representing nearly $112 billion in coverage through the NFIP. To date, this program has paid out more than $49 million in claims for Hurricane Isaac.

Applying for disaster assistance is quick and simple. Survivors with uninsured or underinsured damages can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smartphone at m.fema.gov. They may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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.

Continue reading:  

FEMA Reaches Out to Survivors with Lapsed Flood Insurance