Federal Assistance Helps Local Governments Too
Release Date: September 21, 2004
Release Number: 1553-008
» More Information on North Carolina Tropical Storm Frances
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Ivan
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Local governments in 16 North Carolina counties are eligible for assistance for losses to infrastructure sustained from Tropical Storm Frances and Hurricane Ivan that affected North Carolina this month, according to officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and North Carolina Department of Crime Control Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management (CCPS/DEM) Public Assistance Program.
Counties eligible for Public Assistance from Tropical Storm Frances are: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey. Macon County is eligible for Public Assistance from Hurricane Ivan.
The program provides funds to eligible municipalities, public agencies and qualified private non-profit organizations for approved costs of debris removal, emergency protective measures, road repairs, repair of water control facilities and restoration of buildings, utilities, and recreational facilities that sustained damages from Tropical Storm Frances and Hurricane Ivan. Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA pays 75 percent of the approved costs. The other 25 percent is made up from non-FEMA sources determined by the state.
FEMA and state inspectors continue to assess damaged areas and meeting with local officials to explain the program and determine if the local community qualifies for assistance.
The process works like this:
- After a declaration, the state holds Public Assistance (PA) applicant briefings to define who are eligible applicants and explain to local officials how to apply.
- Potential applicants submit the Request for Public Assistance (RPA).
- A state liaison and a FEMA Public Assistance Coordinator (PAC) are assigned to each applicant.
- A kick-off meeting is held with each applicant to describe the program and what types of assistance each applicant may need.
- Applicants work with the PAC to identify eligible repair and replacements projects and write a Project Worksheet outlining work with estimated costs through the project formulation process.
- FEMA and the state then approve the project and process grants for the applicant.
FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program is one way federal assistance helps communities respond to disasters and recover from their impact. While these grants are aimed at governments and organizations, their final goal is to help a community and all its citizens recover from devastating natural disasters.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Thursday, 23-Sep-2004 15:18:13