Disaster Aid Tops $30 Million
Release Date: November 12, 2003
Release Number: 1498-21
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Pasadena, CA -- Federal and state assistance for five fire-stricken Southern California counties has exceeded $30 million in two weeks.
More than 13,000 people have registered for aid since fire swept through Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties in October.
People who suffered damage during the fires can still register for assistance by calling the Federal Emergency Management Agency's toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The speech- or hearing-impaired can call TTY 1-800-462-7585. The lines are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
The response and recovery activities so far include:
- Housing assistance checks totaling $3 million have been approved to help with temporary housing and essential home repairs.
- Payments totaling $6.3 million have been approved to help with other needs such as medical, dental, funeral, transportation, moving and storage expenses.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $21.7 million in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes.
- The FEMA Helpline has received more than 23,400 calls from people seeking guidance, information and referrals.
- FEMA inspectors have completed 3,498 inspections of fire-damaged properties.
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring California's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade, and war-caused emergencies, and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.
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 Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
A county-by-county breakdown of assistance to date:
| County | Registrations | Housing Assistance Approved |
Other Needs Assistance Approved |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 564 | $42,626 | $158,667 | $201,293 |
| Riverside | 93 | $28,058 | $62,594 | $90,652 |
| San Bernardino | 6,955 | $692,825 | $1,456,129 | $2,148,954 |
| San Diego | 5,605 | $2,151,860 | $4,464,923 | $6,616,783 |
| Ventura | 215 | $51,557 | $116,165 | $167,722 |
| Totals: | 13,446 | $2,966,926 | $6,258,478 | $9,225,404 |
Last Modified: Wednesday, 12-Nov-2003 15:31:16