Astoria, OR – The Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) met at the Guy Boyington Building today to discuss the process of how local government agencies and non-profit organizations can apply for benefits from State and Federal Government programs.
A comprehensive one hour overview was given to the representatives of twenty-four local agencies. Contact personnel from FEMA and OEM gave the presentation and encouraged local agencies to immediately begin the process of filling out the Requests for Public Assistance. All requests must be received by February 7th.
Local representative Gene Strong was on hand to make future appointments with each local agency to go over applications. From there, FEMA and OEM will determine whether or not applicants met the qualifications for assistance.
After the meeting, Brett Estes with the City of Astoria Community Develop Department was asked by NCO about their application.
“The City of Astoria has submitted paperwork to request FEMA public assistance and will be meeting with their representatives this week. The City is also pursing opportunities for FEMA mitigation dollars on damaged City-owned facilities. Once the public assistance kick-off meeting occurs, we should know more as to whether there will be opportunities for mitigation funding” Estes said.
Good News For Local Agencies
In September of 2007 Clatsop County had begun the process of making its own Mitigation Plan. Because this process was underway, local county and city agencies will have special consideration with projects that qualify under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The program is used for long term projects that reduce the impact of storms, flooding and earth movement (slides, earthquake, etc).
All projects under this program must be approved through Regional Administration for Region 10, operating out of Bothell, Washington. HMGP operates as part of the Stafford Act under sections 404 and 406. The Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, PL 93-288. This Act constitutes the statutory authority for most Federal disaster response activities, especially as they pertain to FEMA and FEMA programs.
Deadlines and Additional Help
Many of the agencies on hand saw substantial damage. A County Fisheries Project on the South Fork Klaskanine River had $100,000 in estimated damages. The project was recently completed in the summer with a price tag of $400,000, according to Tod Jones with Clatsop County Fisheries.
“Much of it was rearranged and washed out, but we won’t know the total extent of costs to re-build until the water levels get low enough for the NRCS surveyors to get into the river and examine it in detail. Right now we only have their guesstimates based on a site visit last week” said Jones.
In order to comply with FEMA standards, projects have to meet certain deadlines. The start date for these projects is the declaration date of the applicant. For an emergency repair, it is six months for completion, but permanent work has an 18 month deadline. There is also a 75/25 cost share that must be met. FEMA will cover 75% and the local agency must cover the other 25%.
If the local agency has difficulty covering their share, they can turn to other sources to get help. Also present at the meeting was Vicki Goodman from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, (OECDD) who provided additional information including a nine page matrix of Resource Recovery. Grants are available which can help with the 25% percent share that local agencies are required to pay.
Goodman is the local contact for OECDD and can be reached at 503-842-4045.
Tillamook County was introduced as a case study of best practices using flood mitigation. The case study showed how mitigation planning can lessen the impact of natural disasters in a community. With Clatsop County’s plan underway, local agencies will be able to rebuild with both the financial and planning expertise of State and Federal agencies. Which in turn will help mitigate against future storms, flooding and earth movement, and improve recovery response.
FEMA’s strongest advice for local agencies and non-profits in attendance was to apply immediately and to keep records of everything. Local agencies may be turned down if they don’t meet the qualifications, but if the February 7th deadline is missed they are out of luck. All approved projects will be audited and have a final inspection, so detailed records must be kept for three years for the federal program. Some agencies may be required to keep records even longer if the project falls under state and local laws and ordinances.
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