Several Calif. Counties Designated for Disaster Assistance

Disaster assistance has been made available for Alameda, El Dorado, Nevada and Shasta counties as a result of the Dec. 17, 2005 – Jan. 3, 2006, severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides that affected California, according to Federal Coordinating Officer Tom Davies of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Davies said the counties were added to the list of eligible jurisdictions based on a review of damage data gathered by federal and state disaster recovery officials.

“We remain committed to ensuring that every qualified family and business receives the help they need and that vital community facilities are restored to full service as quickly as possible,” Davies said.

State Coordinating Officer Henry Renteria, director of the Governor Offices of Emergency Services, said “We appreciate that the federal government has responded quickly to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s request to add these counties to the disaster declaration.”

Davies said that stricken residents and business owners in El Dorado, Nevada and Shasta counties are now eligible to register for temporary disaster housing assistance; U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to repair or replace real or personal property and other business assets; grants to help meet serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.

There are two ways to begin the application process. You may call FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585. Both numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday until further notice, and multilingual operators are available to answer your call. Residents with Internet access may register on the agency’s Web site at http://www.fema.gov, where valuable recovery information also is available.

Alameda County was declared for the Public Assistance Program. The state-administered PA program provides reimbursement to state agencies, local governments and certain non profits providing a government-like service for disaster-related eligible costs. Among costs that may be eligible for reimbursement are emergency protective measures, debris removal and repair or replacement of disaster damage public infrastructure.

El Dorado and Nevada counties previously were declared eligible for the Public Assistance Program.