As firefighters battle to contain the fires raging through Northern California, those who have lost homes may wonder if they are eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to Public Information Officer, Brandi Richard, FEMA already has teams on the ground in Butte County and the affected region. Their primary objective is assisting State and Local governments in life-saving missions, as well as lending support to the Department of Defense.
Individual help is not currently available to survivors of the Camp Fire. Until a major disaster declaration is signed by the President, all of FEMA’s support goes to state and local agencies and not individuals or households.
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The FEMA website states that according to The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, “All emergency and major disaster declarations are made solely at the discretion of the President of the United States,” and that "all requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State."
FEMA advises those affected by the fires to follow the instructions of local officials about returning to their homes and to start gathering insurance paperwork in order to file claims as soon as possible. If a declaration is signed, FEMA could then step in to bridge any gaps between the amount of money insurance covers and survivors’ needs.
As FEMA crews are currently in the area, Richard says survivor response could be immediate if and when a major disaster declaration is signed. In the meantime, the latest information will be posted to the social media accounts for FEMA Region 9.
Watch Now: Episode 2: A cafe owner steps in to help when a Redding man faces an unspeakable tragedy in the aftermath of the Carr Fire: