FEMA: $18 Million For Southern California Wildfire Assistance

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

FEMA: $18 Million For Southern California Wildfire Assistance

FEMA, SBA, State Have Approved More Than $18 Million For Southern California Wildfire Assistance...

Deadline To Register today - January 20th

Release Date: January 16, 2009
Release Number: 1810-040

» More Information on California Wildfires

PASADENA, Calif.-- More than 2,400 residents applied for assistance in the weeks since wildfires attacked four California counties. Housing and other disaster-related assistance totaling $ 18,724,156.14 have been approved to date for Southern Californians in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and Santa Barbara.

Individual assistance is available for residents with property damages from wildfire. Here is a summary of disaster assistance funding to date:

$16.1 million - Approved U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and business owners.
$1.9 million - Housing assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for rental expenses, home repair or replacement.
$533, 338 - Assistance with other needs from FEMA and the State of California for losses and damage to personal property; vehicle repair or replacement; moving expenses; and other disaster-related costs.
$200,000 - Approved California State Supplemental Grants from the California Department of Social Services for those whose needs exceed the maximum grants for housing and other needs received from FEMA and the state.
$93,827 - have been allocated by the U.S. Department of Labor to the California Employment Development Department for individuals unemployed by the wildfires and not eligible for regular unemployment assistance.

Beyond the dollars provided to Southern California residents, much individualized attention is involved in wildfire recovery:

1, 293 builders, homeowners and renters received advice in home improvement stores and disaster assistance centers from FEMA mitigation experts about how to build fire-safe and flood-aware structures.
1,510 people have visited assistance centers seeking disaster recovery help and mitigation information in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and other languages.
1,708 FEMA inspections have been completed in disaster-designated counties. These inspections of wildfire-damaged structures are a prerequisite for property owners to qualify for federal and state grants and low-interest loans to repair, replace or rebuild.
2,401 Californians have registered for state and federal disaster assistance online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FEMA's community relations specialists walk disaster neighborhoods to offer recovery information and assistance. To date they have spoken with:
1,622 Residents
63 Businesses
8 Faith-Based Organizations
39 Community-Based Organizations
32 Local Governments
9 Local Agencies
9 Schools

The California State Bar has a legal assistance hotline at 1-866-636-9041. Wildfire victims can call the line with disaster-related basic legal questions, such as replacing lost documents, housing-landlord-tenant disputes, and insurance issues.

Public assistance grants are being written on a cost share basis to state, county and local governments for emergency work such as debris removal and reimbursement for protective measures, plus repairs to roads, public utilities, public buildings, and public parks.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, January 20, 2009