PEMA, FEMA Announce Public Assistance Aid For 11 Pennsylvania Counties 

Release Date: April 29, 2005
Release Number: 1587-017

» More Information on Pennsylvania Severe Storms and Flooding

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- State and federal officials today announced that 11 Pennsylvania counties have been designated for federal public assistance (infrastructure) to include aid for local governments affected by the severe storms and flooding that began April 2. The designated counties include: Bradford, Bucks, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming.

“Federal Public Assistance will allow state and local governments, authorities, volunteer fire companies, school districts and certain private non-profit organizations that have been devastated by flooding to continue the recovery process,” said Adrian R. King Jr., state coordinating officer.”

Tom Davies, federal coordinating officer for the disaster, said the additional assistance was approved following a review of damage data gathered by federal and state disaster recovery officials.

The current Public Assistance Grant Program allows publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain Private Non-Profit (PNP) organizations to respond to disasters, to recover from their impact and to mitigate impact from future disasters. Federal funding also will be available to the state on a cost-shared basis for approved projects that reduce future disaster risks.

Under the expanded assistance, affected local governments in the designated counties are eligible to apply for federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, buildings and utilities. State and federal officials will soon conduct Applicant Briefings in the designated counties to explain the procedures for requesting public assistance.

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Monday, 02-May-2005 09:19:52