Disaster Assistance for
Individuals and Households
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Recent
Disasters in Grant County
|
Date |
Severity |
Disaster Number |
Description |
Dates |
Affected Counties |
| Feb
2007 |
Major |
DR-1682 |
Severe winter
storms/wind landslides/mudslides |
Dec
14-15, 2006
Disaster Declared
Feb 14, 2007 |
Chelan, Clallam,
Clark, Grant, Grays Harbor,
Island, King, Klickitat, Lewis,
Mason, Pacific, Pend Oreille,
Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania,
Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum
|
Immediate
Emergency Help
The American
Red Cross (ARC), Salvation Army, and other
voluntary organizations active in disaster
can and will provide immediate aid in the
way of clothing, emergency food, medical
assistance, emergency shelter, clean-up
help, transportation help, and furniture.
This assistance is available upon the
request of the individual or government
agencies during any significant emergency.
Insurance
Insurance
polices such as homeowner, earthquake,
flood, and other hazard policies are always
the first step in protecting your financial
investment in times of disaster. When the
president declares a major disaster a
variety of federal and state assistance
programs may be available to meet survivors’
essential and necessary needs. However, it
is important to understand that all
the various aid programs combined will not
return you to your pre-disaster condition. Having
insurance is your best alternative.
Disaster
Field Office/ Disaster Recovery Centers
When the
president declares an emergency or major
disaster, the Washington State Military
Department, Emergency Management Division (EMD),
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) jointly administer programs in a
Disaster Field Office (DFO) to help
individuals who suffer disaster damage or
losses. To assist the public in obtaining
information, Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC)
are normally established in or near the
affected area.
Registration
When the
president declares a disaster, FEMA sets up
a toll-free telephone number
(1-800-621-3362) so individuals and
households may begin to apply for assistance
immediately. Alternatively, individuals may
also register on the
Internet. If you do not
register, you will not get help!
When registering, you will be asked if you
have insurance to cover your loss and
provide temporary housing if needed. If you
do have insurance coverage you will be
referred to your insurance agent for further
assistance. However, if you do not have
coverage, you may be eligible for one or all
of the programs that follow. For the most
part, the programs that follow are listed in
the order that they would be available
following a major disaster declaration.
Individuals
And Households Program
The Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390)
amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(Stafford Act) creating a new program called
“Federal Assistance to Individuals and
Households,” or “Individuals and Households
Program (IHP).”
IHP consists
of Housing Assistance (HA) and Other Needs
Assistance (ONA). Housing Assistance assists
disaster victims with housing needs and is
administered and fully funded by FEMA. Other
Needs Assistance provides disaster
assistance awards for eligible medical,
dental, and funeral expenses, as well as
personal property, transportation, and other
necessary expenses or serious needs. Other
Needs Assistance is funded 75 percent by
FEMA and 25 percent by the state. Washington
State Emergency Management administers this
program.
The IHP grant
limit of $25,000 (in 2002) is adjusted
annually to reflect changes in the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers
published by the Department of Labor.
NOTE: The
average award from IHP
Housing or Other Needs Assistance is very
small in comparison to the maximum
available. Eligibility for assistance in
based upon essential needs as determined by
a FEMA inspection. The program, by design of
Congress, only provides limited assistance
to help an individual or household on the
road to recovery. Private insurance is one’s
best bet to hedge the financial loss created
by disaster.
Housing
Assistance
After
insurance considerations, FEMA may provide
housing assistance in a number of ways.
Eligible individuals/households may receive
financial assistance to rent alternate
housing, pay for short-term transient
accommodations, repair owner occupied
private residences ($5,000 maximum), and to
replace owner-occupied private residences
($10,000 maximum).
FEMA also may
provide direct housing assistance in the
form of temporary housing units that FEMA
purchases or leases for disaster victims.
They may also construct permanent housing in
insular areas where it would not be feasible
or cost-effective to rely on other types of
temporary housing assistance.
Repair and
replacement assistance limits are adjusted
annually to reflect changes in the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers
published by the Department of Labor.
U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA)
In the
absence of insurance coverage, the SBA
Disaster Loan Program will be available
offering low interest loans to qualifying
applicants. SBA can make the Disaster Loan
Program available without a presidential
disaster declaration. SBA loans are
the primary source of funds for disaster
recovery. See
U.S. Small Business Administration
Disaster Loans for more details.
Farm Service
Agency Loans
The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm
Service Agency provides low-interest loans
to farmers and ranchers for physical and
production losses, repair or replacement of
farm property and supplies, or repayment of
farm operating debts incurred during the
disaster year. It is available with a
presidential disaster declaration, but as
with the SBA Disaster Loans, this loan
program can also be approved by the U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture following a request
by the governor. See the
U.S. Department of Agriculture fact
sheet for more details.
Other Needs
Assistance (ONA)
For the most
part, the only way to get assistance from
ONA is to have a disaster need not covered
by an SBA loan or be determined ineligible
for an SBA loan.
ONA awards
are available to qualified individuals and
families to meet serious, disaster-related
needs and necessary expenses for which
assistance from other federal, state, or
voluntary agency disaster assistance
programs is unavailable or inadequate.
Typically, these needs fall into the
categories of medical, dental, and funeral
expenses, as well as personal property,
transportation, and other necessary expenses
or serious needs resulting from a major
disaster. This program is only available
when the president declares a disaster.
Voluntary
Agencies Unmet Needs Assistance
Once a
disaster survivor has exhausted all other
programs in pursuit of assistance, the
American Red Cross and other voluntary
agencies implement programs to assist people
in meeting their essential and necessary
remaining unmet needs. Many of the voluntary
agency programs are constrained by a lack of
funds. However, if a person can hang onto
their federal disaster assistance dollars to
purchase materials, the voluntary agencies
can often come up with the voluntary labor
necessary to complete necessary repairs.
Cora Brown
Fund
The late Cora
C. Brown of Kansas City, Missouri, left part
of her estate to the federal government
intending that the funds be used to aid
disaster victims. The Cora Brown fund is
used for disaster-related needs of
individual or families who are unable to
obtain adequate assistance from other
federal, state, and local government
programs or from voluntary agencies. The
fund is not intended to replace or supersede
those programs; therefore, if assistance is
available from another source, the Cora
Brown Fund may not be used. Awards from
this fund may be granted only at the
discretion of the FEMA Director, Human
Services Division, Response, and Recovery
Section.
OTHER
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Disaster
Unemployment Assistance
This program
generally covers self-employed persons; farm
workers, farm and ranch owners, and others
not normally covered under regular
unemployment insurance programs if they are
out of work due to disaster. This program is
administered by the state Department of
Employment Security, through the U.S.
Department of Labor and FEMA. It is
available only with a presidential disaster
declaration.
Taxes
The Internal
Revenue Service allows underinsured or
uninsured disaster losses on home, personal
property, and household goods to be deducted
on income tax returns and may offer tax
counseling and tax rebates (requires a
presidential declaration). Deductions of
certain uninsured casualty losses on a
homeowner’s federal income tax return may be
allowed (does not require a presidential
disaster declaration).
You may also
be eligible for a reduction in property
valuation due to disaster-caused damages,
resulting in a reduction of local property
taxes (available upon request from the
County Assessor’s Office; does not require a
presidential disaster declaration).
Check
Express
Expedited
address change and benefit check delivery
from the Social Security Administration and
expedited assistance in applying for and
receiving a variety of benefits from the
Veterans Administration are only available
following a presidential disaster
declaration.
Crisis
Counseling
Crisis
counseling may be available by special
request through the governor and approved by
FEMA after a presidential disaster
declaration and is administered by the state
Department of Social and Health Services.
Contact
For more
information, please contact our office at
509-762-1462.
