SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Here’s a look at the recovery numbers from FEMA as of close of business Nov. 9:
• 3,937 households eligible for FEMA individual assistance.
• FEMA has approved $10.3 million in Individuals and Households Program grants. o $6.6 million for Housing Assistance.
o $3.7 million in Other Needs Assistance.
• The inspector team, currently with 44 members, has completed 73 percent of requested site inspections.
• 199 families, numbering 469 people, are temporarily housed in hotels or motels at FEMA’s expense through Dec. 7.
• A total of 10,472 survivors visited the eight Local Assistance Centers and the Disaster Recovery Centers set up to provide face-to-face disaster assistance.
The collection of household hazardous waste has been completed in Butte, Lake, Nevada and Yuba counties and is at least 70 percent completed in the rest. Right of Entry (RoE) permissions grant government contractors access to the survivors’ private property to remove fire debris to state standards and help expedite rebuilding. The deadline for submitting an RoE is Monday, Nov. 13.
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available for businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters. As of close of business Nov. 9, SBA:
• Received 1,369 loan applications from homeowners, and 183 applications from business owners.
• Approved loans totaling $27 million.
California residents who suffered personal or business losses in the October fires have until Dec. 11 to register for disaster assistance with FEMA. Survivors who are eligible for FEMA assistance are residents of the eight designated counties: Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba.
Survivors are advised to contact FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or by phone at
800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362. These toll-free numbers operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, and are staffed by operators ready to assist survivors in their languages.
Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if a survivor has registered with another disaster-relief organization, such as the American Red Cross.
For more information on California’s recovery, visit WildfireRecovery.org or fema.gov/disaster/4344, Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion9 and the Cal OES website, caloes.ca.gov/ .
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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 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
The 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 disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.