SACRAMENTO – Wildfire survivors in three additional California counties are now eligible for federal resources and programs to help rebuild their communities and their lives.
Yesterday, California secured the addition of Napa, Shasta and Sonoma counties to the Major Disaster Declaration approved by the Whitehouse last week which opens up new lines of critical federal assistance for individuals impacted by fires that occurred in those counties in September.
This follows a previous Presidential Major Disaster Declaration secured by the state last month to bolster support for the Northern California wildfires that broke out in August.
“Securing these federal declarations will provide a crucial lifeline to Californians so that they can recover from these fires,” said California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci.
The fires and counties eligible under today’s declaration addition are:
- Zogg Fire in Shasta County
- Glass Fire in Sonoma County and Napa County
For individuals who lost their home or sustained other losses due to wildfires in the counties listed above, you may be able to apply for federal assistance. FEMA gives eligible survivors financial awards to help them pay for such needs as rent, home repair or replacement; medical, dental or funeral costs, and other serious disaster-related expenses.
You can register for this federal assistance in three ways:
- Register online at www.disasterassistance.gov
- Register by downloading and using the FEMA app on your smartphone or tablet,
- Register by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. PDT. The helpline has specialists who speak many different languages.
To apply for assistance, be prepared with the following information:
- Social Security Number
- Insurance policy information
- Address of the damaged primary dwelling
- A description of disaster-caused damage and losses
- Current mailing address
- Current telephone number
- Total household annual income
- Routing and account number of your checking or savings account (for direct transfer to your bank account)
For additional resources and background, please visit wildfirerecovery.caloes.ca.gov and click on “Current Incidents.”
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