The last day to apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is Nov. 8, 2021.
Homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained uninsured or underinsured damage to their property from the wildfires in Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Tehama and Trinity counties have until today to apply for disaster assistance.
More than $4 million has been disbursed to disaster survivors through FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program – including more than $3 million in temporary housing assistance.
Survivors are encouraged to file insurance claims for damage to their homes, personal property, businesses and vehicles before they apply for FEMA assistance. Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The easiest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Assistance from FEMA may include funds for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts of eligible applicants. This may include:
- Rental assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs;
- Funds to support the repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges; and
- Funds for disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, child care and other miscellaneous items.
Survivors should update contact information as soon as possible because FEMA may need to reach them to perform virtual home inspections or get additional information. FEMA encourages survivors to request direct deposits of disaster assistance to their financial institution. Survivors should let FEMA know as soon as possible of any changes to their mailing or banking information.
For information on the SBA process, visit DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing can call 800-877-8339.
Survivors who may need to request an accommodation or have additional questions can call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
For more information about California’s Wildfire recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4610 and Cal OES’ wildfirerecovery.caloes.ca.gov.