Public Notice: Camp Fire
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Residents in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties who suffered damages from the Camp, Hill or Woolsey wildfires have until Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 to register for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) requested an extension from FEMA, based on continued registrations, which indicate some are still assessing their damage and need additional time to apply for aid.
Homeowners, renters and small-business owners must sign-up by Feb. 15 to be considered for eligibility in any of several federal disaster assistance programs. Survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. Disaster assistance often provides benefits not covered by insurance.
The Feb. 15 deadline also applies to applications for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long- term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA also helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and covers the cost of
replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.
FEMA’s Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance grants for medical, dental, and funeral expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants referred to SBA must complete and submit an SBA loan application to be considered for additional forms of disaster assistance.
Applicants who do not qualify for an SBA loan may be referred back to FEMA and may be eligible to receive Other Needs Assistance grants for these items.
The SBA Disaster Customer Service Center’s toll-free number is 800-659-2955. Help is also available by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or by visiting www.sba.gov.
Survivors may apply online at SBA’s secure website: disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
Those impacted by the fires can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585). Multi-lingual operators are available. The toll-free numbers are open daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (PST)