FEMA Extends Deadline for August Wildfires Aid
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday that it's extending deadlines for residents in ten Northern California counties applying for aid to help in the wake of the lightning complex fires this summer.
Residents of Lake, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Solano, San Mateo, Napa, Monterey, Butte and Yolo counties have until Nov. 21 to apply for individual disaster assistance grants. The same deadline applies for people seeking low-interest small business loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The previous deadline was Oct. 21.
Federal disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance, the announcement from FEMA said.
Residents who lost access to water through their private well -- if the well was physically damaged, collapsed and/or is no longer producing potable water as a direct result of the disaster -- could also be considered for financial assistance under FEMA's Individuals and Households Program.
To register, people will need Social Security numbers, insurance policy information, address of their damaged primary dwelling, a description of the damage or losses caused by the wildfires, a mailing address and telephone number, total household annual income, and a routing and account number for a checking or savings account.
FEMA makes the grants available only to survivors of the wildfires that began in mid-August, not for COVID-19-related assistance or for survivors of later wildfires.
Fire survivors can register three different ways: online at disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA app on a smartphone or tablet; or by calling FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362.
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