Six Months Later: More Than $317 Million Approved For Southern California Wildfire Recovery 

Release Date: May 7, 2004
Release Number: 1498-78

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PASADENA, Calif. -- Six months after deadly firestorms ravaged sections of Southern California, federal and state officials have approved more than $317 million to help residents, business owners, local government agencies and non-profit organizations recover from the wildfires and prepare for future disasters.

To date, 40,794 residents and business owners have registered for aid since the fires swept through Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. The total number of applicants includes those directly affected by the fires as well as those whose property was damaged by the Christmas Day storms. Eligibility for storm assistance is based on whether mudflows, debris flows and flooding that caused the damage was directly related to wildfires stripping vegetation from the surrounding watershed in designated areas of San Bernardino County.

The deadline for fire victims to apply was Jan. 9; those who suffered losses because of fire-related mudflows and flooding had until March 14, 2004 to register.

"Even though many of the families and individuals who were affected by the wildfires have been assisted, money continues to flow into the appropriate agencies and local governments that incurred costs for the fires," said William Carwile, III, federal coordinating officer for the fires.

The growing amount of disaster funding approved to date comes from several federal and state agencies, among them the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the California Department of Social Services (DSS).

Federal and state disaster assistance covers basic needs only and will not normally compensate for an individual's entire loss. For applicants and business owners who have insurance, federal and state programs may help pay for basic needs not covered by an insurance policy.

"The recovery is progressing, but we still have work to do," said Deputy State Coordinating Officer Charles Wynne. "State and federal agencies have worked hard to ensure that individuals, families and business owners have received the assistance they are eligible for. Our focus now is to see that local and state agencies, special districts and eligible private nonprofits receive reimbursement of their eligible response costs and for the repair and restoration of damaged facilities."

Following is a summary of federal and state disaster assistance:

Individuals & Households Program - FEMA has approved more than $32.9 million in grants for temporary housing, minor home repairs, personal property loss and other needs such as medical, dental or transportation expenses, crisis counseling, disaster legal assistance and disaster unemployment assistance.

Disaster loans - The SBA approved almost $170 million in low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and business owners.

Supplemental Assistance - The California Department of Social Services approved and provided 324 State Supplemental Grants totaling more than $1.4 million. The grants go to disaster victims who already received the $25,600 maximum allowed by FEMA but still had losses not covered by insurance or other programs.

Hazard Mitigation - FEMA will provide an estimated $9.5 million to the state to distribute for projects that will reduce or eliminate future disaster damages. Under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), state and local agencies and eligible non-profit organizations may submit proposals to the state for consideration under their established priorities.

Public Assistance - FEMA and OES have approved more than $103.2 million in funding to eligible public assistance projects by state and local agencies and certain non-profit organizations for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repair of disaster-damaged infrastructure.

FEMA normally covers 75% of eligible costs, with the remaining 25% split among OES, state agencies, local governments and eligible private non-profit organizations. In addition, OES is working with local governments to fund more than $11.3 million in response and recovery costs not eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Under FEMA's Public Assistance Program, Native American tribes in the disaster-designated counties also may be eligible for federal assistance in paying for costs incurred in the disaster.

Major public assistance funding obligated by federal and state disaster officials to date includes:

Other Federal Assistance - $14.3 million have been approved for mission assignments and recovery support. This includes, for example, program support, work done by the Department of Defense, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the American Red Cross and the State of California.

Although the deadline for wildfire applications was Jan. 9, help is still available for applicants to complete the process. Questions can be directed to the toll-free FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

Fraud Prevention - People who made a mistake when reporting damage or may have misrepresented their losses have the opportunity to correct or cancel their claim. Individuals may call the Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7585) to withdraw or correct an application and prevent prosecution. Anyone who knows of someone who has filed false damage claims or perpetrated any other disaster-related fraud may report the incident to the Fraud Hotline at 1-800-323-8603.

Making false statements to a FEMA inspector is a prosecutable offense under Title 18 of the United States Code. Potential cases of fraud or misuse are referred to the U.S. Justice Department for prosecution. Penalties for felony offenses include severe criminal and civil penalties, including a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment or both.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

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 the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Friday, 07-May-2004 15:59:04