Salem, Oregon – Over a period of just two months, a combined total of more than $3 million in disaster assistance funds are in the hands of residents of Umatilla County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to help recover from severe storms, flooding and landslides that occurred in northeast Oregon February 5-9, 2020.
As of May 25, nearly $1.2 million in recovery resources came from the FEMA Housing Assistance (HA) and Other Needs Assistance (ONA) programs, collectively known as Individual Assistance (IA). These funds are awarded to make necessary repairs to homes or may be applied to rental assistance, while ONA funding may cover replacement or repair of personal property that was lost or damaged.
“We are grateful for the quick response and ongoing support from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management and FEMA partners,” said Umatilla County Emergency Manager Tom Roberts. “It has been a significant help to our community, especially as we struggle with the impacts of COVID-19 and the severe rain that we are experiencing this week.”
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims and payouts to insured individuals and families affected by the floods in Umatilla, Wallowa and Union counties, and CTUIR, have exceeded the $1 million mark.
Additionally, as of May 25, the Small Business Administration (SBA) approved 20 disaster loans totaling more than $1.2 million for individuals and families affected in Umatilla County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation by February storm damage. These extremely low-interest loans may be used to repair or replace damaged or destroyed homes, and personal property items such as automobiles and appliances. More SBA applications are in the review process.
“We are pleased to work closely with our FEMA partners to provide recovery resources for Umatilla County and CTUIR residents whose lives were upturned and had their homes damaged during the floods this past February,” said Oregon Office of Emergency management Director Andrew Phelps.
The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance, and accompanying recovery funding, was extended to July 2, 2020. Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or register online at www.disasterassistance.gov.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362) 711/VRS - Video Relay Service). Multilingual operators are available. (Press 2 for Spanish). TTY call 800-462-7585.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration 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. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. TTY users may also call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visit SBA at www.SBA.gov/disaster .