ONE WEEK LEFT
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20201203/one-week-left] 

Release Date: 
December 3, 2020 

_Wildfire Survivors Should Call FEMA Helpline or visit
DisasterAssistance.gov by Dec. 11_

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Individuals and households with losses due to
August/September wildfires in Butte, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino,
Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, 
Stanislaus, Trinity, Tulare and Yolo counties have just one week
remaining to apply for grants from FEMA or low-interest disaster loans
from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The deadline is Dec. 11.

These counties are included in federal Disaster 4558, declared
initially Aug. 22 for seven counties and expanded later.

FEMA awards help eligible survivors pay for rent, home
repair/replacement and many other serious disaster-related needs,
including replacement or repair of vehicles, funeral expenses, medical
or dental expenses and miscellaneous other costs. To be reimbursed by
FEMA, survivors should photograph damage and save receipts for repair
work.

Survivors should contact their insurers and file a claim for the
disaster-caused damage before they register with FEMA. Anyone with
insurance should register with FEMA even if they aren’t yet certain
whether they will be eligible. FEMA may be able to help with costs
that insurance doesn’t cover.

The agency can determine eligibility once an applicant’s insurance
claim is settled—but there won’t be any FEMA reimbursement for
those who fail to register by the Dec. 11 deadline for those who
suffered losses in fires including the CZU Lightning Complex, SCU
Lighting Complex, August Complex Fire, LNU Lightning Complex, North
Complex, Sheep, Dolan and SQF Complex.

There are three ways for survivors to register: online at
DisasterAssistance.gov [https://www.disasterassistance.gov/], with the
FEMA Mobile App [https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app] on a smartphone or
tablet, or by or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY
800-462-7585) between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. PST. Those who use a relay
service such as a videophone, Innocaption or CapTel, should provide
FEMA with the specific number assigned to that service when they
register. Multilingual services are available on the helpline and
specialists can answer most questions about FEMA assistance and
registration.

To register you will need 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 and account number of your checking or savings account
(for direct transfer of funds to your bank account)

After you register online or with the FEMA app, you can create your
own account. This will enable you to check the status of your
application, view messages from FEMA, update your personal information
and upload documents that may be necessary to determine your
eligibility for aid.

If you are unable to upload your documents, mail them to FEMA at P.O.
Box 10055, Hyattsville MD 20782-8055 or fax them to 800-827-8112.

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Dec. 11 is also the deadline to apply for a disaster loan from the
U.S. Small Business Administration. Grants from FEMA are meant to give
eligible survivors a start on their road to recovery. The primary
source of recovery funding for many, however, is a loan from the U.S.
Small Business Administration (SBA), which makes disaster loans to
individuals and businesses of all sizes.

Survivors can find out more and apply for a loan at
DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/
[https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/]. For additional assistance,
contact the SBA’s Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center. 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. The Virtual DLOC is open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
PST daily. Call 800-659-2955 or email FOCWAssistance@sba.gov.

These services are only available for the California disaster
declaration as a result of the wildfires and not for COVID-19-related
assistance.

For the latest information on wildfire recovery,
visit _www.fema.gov/disaster/4558_
[https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4558] and follow the FEMA Region 9
Twitter account at _twitter.com/femaregion9_
[https://twitter.com/femaregion9].

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