Post-fire recovery from FEMA

POST FIRE RECOVERY FEDERAL HELP FOR CALIFORNIA RANCHERS AFFECTED BY THE WILDFIRES

by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration (SBA)

Editor’s Note: This article was provided to the California Cattleman as part of a CCA virtual workshop, “Post-Fire Relief and Recovery Programs for Ranchers,” held November 13. The workshop featured speakers from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), as well as the information detailed below from FEMA and SBA.

California ranchers and other individuals who have suffered property and personal losses from 2020 wildfires may be eligible for assistance from several federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

USDA has partnered with FEMA and other disasterrecovery organizations to create the Disaster Resource Center (https://www.usda.gov/topics/disaster). This central source of information identifies resources to help farmers and ranchers find USDA disaster information and assistance. USDA also developed a disaster assistance discovery tool (https://www.farmers.gov/recover/disastertool) specifically targeted to farmers and ranchers, and addressing rural and agricultural issues. The tool walks producers through five questions that generate personalized results identifying which USDA disaster assistance programs can help them recover from a natural disaster.

FEMA ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS

To be eligible, ranchers applying for FEMA assistance must have their primary residence in a county designated under one of the two recent California presidential disaster declarations. A primary home is where the applicant normally lives during the major portion of the year, or a home that is required because of its proximity to employment, including agricultural activities that provide 50 percent of the household’s income.

THE 2020 CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES RECEIVED TWO MAJOR DECLARATIONS:

• DR-4558-CA covers Aug. 14-Sept. 26 wildfire losses in 13 counties: Butte, Lake, Lassen, Monterey, Napa,

San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma,

Trinity, Tulare and Yolo. 22 California Cattleman December 2020 DR-4569-CA covers wildfire losses that occurred Sept. 4 or after in 10 counties: Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, Napa, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta, Siskiyou and Sonoma.

Information on each disaster is available online at www. fema.gov/disaster/4558 and www.fema.gov/disaster/4569. FEMA’s online brochure, Help After a Disaster, explains the assistance that may help survivors in their recovery efforts.

Many survivors who apply for assistance with FEMA will be referred to the SBA, which offers eligible wildfire survivors affordable financial help in the form of lowinterest, long-term disaster loans. These loans are available to businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters. Next to insurance, an SBA loan is the primary source of funds for property repairs and for replacing contents destroyed during wildfires.

HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE

If you have a homeowners insurance policy, the first step in recovery is to file your insurance claim immediately before applying for disaster assistance. Get the process started quickly. The faster you file, the faster your recovery can begin.

FEMA’S INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS PROGRAM ASSISTANCE (IHP)

U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens may be eligible for Individuals and Households Program’s two avenues of aid: Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance.

FEMA’s IHP Assistance provides financial help and direct services to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs. IHP Assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster; it is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.

IHP Assistance is not considered income or as a resource when determining eligibility for welfare, income assistance or income-test benefit programs that the federal government funds, such as Social Security or disability income.

IHP is normally limited to 18 months following the date of the presidential disaster declaration and has two components: Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance.

After filing an insurance claim, the survivor’s next step is to register for disaster assistance from FEMA. This is for individuals and families who have sustained losses due to disasters. • Homeowners and renters in designated counties who sustained damage to their primary homes, vehicles and personal property as a result of the fires may apply for disaster assistance. • Disaster assistance may include awards to help pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the fires, and other fire-related expenses. • Disaster assistance awards are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and other federal and state programs.

Applicants may register for FEMA assistance: • Online at DisasterAssistance.gov; • By downloading and using the FEMA app on their smartphone or tablet; or • By calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. PST. The helpline has bilingual specialists who will answer questions.

Be prepared with the following information: • Social Security number • Insurance policy information • Address of the damaged primary dwelling • A description of disaster-caused damage and losses • Current mailing address • Current telephone number • Total household annual income • Routing/account numbers of your checking/savings account for direct transfer of funds

Once registered, applicants will receive a nine-digit personal registration number. Each application is reviewed to determine if an inspection will be issued. If you are uninsured or underinsured, an inspection is issued to verify disaster-caused damage. FEMA is conducting inspections by phone due to COVID-19 and the need to protect the health of survivors and agency personnel. FEMA cannot pay for damage covered by insurance or duplicate benefits from another source or pay insurance deductibles.

Create a personal online disaster assistance account. This helps to update contact information, see copies of letters from FEMA and upload documents the agency must have to complete a registration. To create an account, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov then click the green Check Status button at the bottom of the page. Click the blue Create Account button at the bottom of page and follow the instructions. You can also create an account using the FEMA app that you can download to your smartphone or tablet.

HOUSING ASSISTANCE

Individuals and households may receive more than one type of housing assistance, including a combination of financial help and direct services. This is based on the amount of disaster-caused loss, access to life-sustaining services and cost effectiveness.

There are two types of assistance that may be available when the primary home is damaged or destroyed:

Financial housing assistance may include: • Lodging, expense reimbursement • Rental assistance • Repair assistance • Replacement assistance

Direct housing assistance (when applicants are unable to use rental assistance) may include: • Multi-family lease and repair • Direct lease • Transportable temporary housing units

OTHER NEEDS ASSISTANCE (ONA)

FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance Program assists with disaster-related expenses such as medical and dental, childcare, funeral and burial, essential household items, moving and storage, vehicle, some cleanup items and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.

TRANSPORTATION

Although FEMA IA does not replace or repair farm vehicles that were lost or damaged in the fires, assistance may be provided by USDA and SBA.

If a damaged or destroyed vehicle was the household’s primary source of transportation, FEMA may provide help. In that case, the household would have to apply for assistance from SBA first. If they are denied an SBA loan or were approved for an insufficient SBA loan, then they may be eligible under ONA.

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA)

The funds and assistance some wildfire survivors receive from insurance, FEMA grants and other sources may come up short for repairing or rebuilding their primary residence to its pre-disaster condition. A disaster loan from the SBA may fill this critical gap.

It’s important to complete the SBA application as soon as possible. Do not wait on an insurance settlement before submitting an SBA loan request. The loan balance will be reduced by the insurance settlement if you receive one.

SBA disaster loans help private property owners pay for disaster losses not fully covered by insurance or other uncompensated losses. When disaster survivors need to borrow to repair damage, the low-interest rates, long terms (up to 30 years) and, in some cases, refinancing of prior liens from SBA make recovery affordable.

Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to businesses and homeowners to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent

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or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available to businesses regardless of any property damage.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Interest rates can be as low as 3 percent for businesses, 2.75 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 1.188 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

The deadline to apply for a low-interest disaster loan has already passed for Disaster 4558. However, small businesses in contiguous counties are still eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans. The deadline to apply for economic injury in these counties is May 20, 2021.

The deadline to apply for a low-interest disaster loan for Disaster 4569 is Dec. 16, 2020. Small businesses in contiguous counties are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans. The deadline to apply for economic injury in these counties is July 16, 2021.

Before FEMA can consider giving a survivor grants for the repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles or moving and storage expenses, the applicant must apply to SBA for a loan and be turned down. No one is required to accept a loan.

Survivors can find out more by contacting the SBA’s Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center (VDLOC). Customer service representatives are available to assist individuals and business owners, answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each person complete their electronic loan application at https://DisasterLoanAssistance. sba.gov/. You may call (800) 659-2955 or email FOCWAssistance@sba.gov. The VDLOC/VBRC is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT daily.

STATE SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT PROGRAM

The state has funding assistance available for survivors when there is a FEMA Individual Assistance declaration, which brings in all the grants for individuals. Once there is a declaration, the California Department of Social Services (DSS) has a State Supplemental Grant Program (SSGP) that is automatically activated and is tied to FEMA IA.

Once FEMA’s program has given a survivor the maximum award they are eligible to receive, FEMA refers the applicant to DSS, which reviews the registration to determine if there are unmet needs with which the state can help. If the applicant is eligible, DSS generates 24 California Cattleman December 2020 an award up to a maximum of $10,000 in addition to any awards from FEMA.

CRISIS COUNSELING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

California has requested a federally funded supplemental program that provides financial assistance to state, territorial, tribal and local government agencies. If approved, the award enables government agencies to provide crisis counseling services or contract with local mental health service providers familiar with the affected communities. The state or local government agencies must request the federal funding to provide counseling.

Once activated, crisis counseling assists individuals, groups and communities recovering from the effects of a disaster through community-based outreach and educational services. The program is composed of two grant programs: Immediate Services Program (ISP), which has a 60-day duration; and Regular Services Program (RSP), which has a 9-month duration.

Crisis counseling is administered through an interagency federal partnership between FEMA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services.

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline, a national hotline, offers year-round disaster crisis counseling. You may call 800-985-5990 (TTY 800-846-8517) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you feel distressed because of the effects of the wildfires, you may use this free service. It is toll-free, multilingual, crisis support. Visit the website at www.samhsa.gov for details.

You may also call 211 for immediate help with food, housing, legal matters, clothing, utilities, veterans’ support, prescriptions, services for seniors, transportation, emergency shelter or disability assistance. Call 211 or 888636-4211 or text 211 (898211).

For more information on the two California 2020 fire-related disasters, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4558 and www.fema.gov/ disaster/4569.

FEMA’s mission: Helping people before, during, and after disasters.

All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-4627585(TTY/TDD).

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 businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disasterdamaged personal property.