Deadline looms for wildfire-related assistance funds
Residents, businesses have until Friday to apply for federal emergency aid.
(Photo: Vehicles and other objects appear in the front of a home that was destroyed by the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire in rural Solano County on August 19, 2020. Photo by the author.)
Solano County residents have until Friday to file an application for federal emergency financial assistance related to last summer’s LNU Lightning Complex wildfire that tore through portions of rural Fairfield, Vacaville and Winters.
In a press release sent to reporters, the government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said residents of Solano County and other areas affected by the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire have until December 11 to call FEMA’s disaster assistance helpline or visit an associated website for wildfire-related claims.
FEMA provides financial assistance to help wildfire survivors “pay for rent, home repair or replacement and many other disaster-related needs,” the agency said. Those other needs include replacing or repairing vehicles damaged by wildfire, paying for funeral expenses, medical and dental expenses or other miscellaneous reimbursable costs.
Those with insurance policies that might cover wildfire-related losses should file a claim with their provider before they file a FEMA claim, the agency says. Those with insurance should still file a claim with FEMA even if they are not sure their costs will be reimbursed because the agency may be able to help cover costs that aren’t covered by insurance policies.
Once an insurance claim is settled, FEMA can begin working on an applicant’s request for federal emergency financial assistance — but only if survivors file their claim with the agency before December 11.
Those who want to file an application for federal emergency funds are asked to visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or download the FEMA Mobile App on any Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. Survivors can also call the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. local time every day.
The agency says wildfire survivors “should photograph damage and save receipts for repair work.” When applying for wildfire assistance, survivors will need to have a few pieces of personal information handy, including:
The applicant’s Social Security number,
The applicant’s insurance policy information,
The postal address of the damaged or destroyed structure,
A description of all damage and loss caused by the wildfire,
The applicant’s current mailing address and telephone number,
The applicant’s total annual household income,
The routing and account number of the applicant’s deposit (checking, savings or money market) account information for direct transfer of federal emergency funds.
Assistance for wildfire-affected businesses
In addition to survivor assistance for residents, December 11 is also the deadline for businesses to apply for a disaster-related loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
While disaster-related grants from FEMA are intended to help residents get back on their feet, loans administered through the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to residents and businesses of any size alike.
Residents and businesses who are interested in learning more or applying for a disaster-related loan are urged to visit https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ before the December 11 filing date. They can also contact the Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center by calling 1-800-659-2955 or e-mailing FOCWAssistance@sba.gov. The Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time every day.
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