Public Assistance Authorized For Walworth County
Release Date: August 18, 2008
Release Number: 1768-134
» More Information on Wisconsin Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
Madison, Wis. -- Walworth County has been added to the list of Wisconsin counties eligible to receive federal Public Assistance (PA) disaster funds to help local governments rebuild public property damaged by recent severe storms, tornadoes and floods.
The following 30 Wisconsin counties now eligible for PA are: Adams, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago.
For approved PA projects, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay 75 percent of project costs. Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) and the state or local organizations applying for funding will split the remaining 25 percent, with each paying 12.5 percent. PA projects may include debris removal, emergency-service cost and repair or replacement of damaged public facilities. The latter category includes eligible schools, libraries and other public buildings as well as roads, bridges, water control facilities, utilities and recreational facilities.
Qualified private non-profit organizations may receive assistance to restore certain kinds of facilities. These include utilities and educational, emergency, medical, custodial care and other structures used to provide essential governmental services.
Residents of the 30 declared counties also are eligible for Individual Assistance (IA), which provides grants for repair and replacement of storm-damaged housing and for temporary housing; grants for other disaster needs such as transportation, medical and dental expenses, moving and storage fees, and replacement or repair of personal property. Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters and business owners also are available.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Thursday, 16-Oct-2008 12:07:40