🟢🟢 Federal Individual Assistance is available for survivors of Pennsylvania Tropical Storm Debby, DR-4815-PA. Survivors can learn more and apply here. Deadline to apply is November 12, 2024. Click here to learn more. You can learn more at https://www.pavoad.org/ts-debby-response/. That’s correct: Today is the last day to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. Residents affected by Tropical Storm Debbie, August 9 and 10, who live in Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Union counties are eligible to apply for federal help. There are four ways to do it:
- Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Call the FEMA Helpline at ☎️800-621-3362.
- Download the FEMA App.
- Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. For locations and hours, visit fema.gov/drc. (Closed today)
For the latest information about recovery from TS Debbie, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4815 .
There have been 1,433 FEMA IA registrations.
What is FEMA Individual Assistance?
Individual Assistance is a FEMA program for disaster survivors. Individuals affected by Tropical Storm Debby on August 9-10 in Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Union counties can apply. Through Individual Assistance, you may be able to receive money to help pay for essential items and immediate housing, repair your home, and replace certain items that you need for school, work and home.
Immediate Needs – Items and Housing
FEMA may be able to provide funds or reimbursement for two weeks of lodging through Displacement Assistance or Lodging Expenses Reimbursement. This assistance can be used to stay in hotels, motels, short-term lodging, and in some cases, with family and friends. Rental assistance helps eligible survivors who need a temporary place to stay while their home is being repaired or until they secure permanent housing.
Renters who experienced losses may also be eligible for disaster recovery assistance. FEMA can help with disaster-related expenses such as renting a new place to live when a renter’s previous home was lost due to disaster, disaster-related medical and dental expenses, replacement or repair or personal property and vehicles, and disaster-related funeral and burial expenses.
Home Repairs
Financial assistance for eligible homeowners to rebuild or make repairs so that their home is safe, sanitary and functional. Note that home repair assistance is only available for primary residences. If you already made repairs to your home or replaced damage items, keep your receipts, and submit them to FEMA for possible reimbursement. In addition to structural damages to roofs or floors, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance to repair or replace a furnace, septic system, private road and/or bridge, or private well. See this fact sheet – Are you need of heat, water, sanitation, etc.
Funding may be available to make accessibility improvements and repairs to your home if you have a disability. Accessibility improvements, such as an exterior ramp or grab bars, may be funded even if they were not present before the disaster.
You may be eligible to receive funds to repair your home that sustained damage in the disaster regardless of pre-existing conditions as well as make repairs that prevent similar damage from future disasters.
Personal Property Assistance
FEMA assistance is limited to basic needs. Insurance coverage is the best means to recover after a natural disaster. However, FEMA assistance for personal property may be available for both homeowners and renters if you are uninsured or underinsured.
Assistance may be available to help cover the cost of appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, essential clothing, basic home furnishings, tools required for work and school, and assistance for accessibility items required for eligible applicants with disabilities.
You may also receive be able to receive money to repair or replace a personal or family computer as well as additional computers required for work, school, or access and functional needs.
If you are self-employed, FEMA may offer money to repair or replace disaster-damaged tools and equipment you need to do your job.
Other Assistance
FEMA grants are not loans and do not have to be repaid. They are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, SNAP benefits and several other programs.
You can apply for FEMA Assistance and a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan at the same time.
Insurance does not cover everything. Even if you received an insurance payout for damage to your home or property, you may still be eligible for FEMA assistance.
Four Ways to Apply for FEMA Individual Assistance
For more information on Pennsylvania’s disaster recovery, visit the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Facebook page, fema.gov/disaster/4815 and facebook.com/FEMA.
Follow FEMA on X at x.com/FEMAregion3 and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/femaregion3
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 833-285-7448. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages).
🟢🟢 You can see a snapshot review of the Response to TS Debbie in this PEMA graphic.
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🟢🟢The RFA for the Disaster Case Management Program for TS Debbie for the IA declared counties is now available for review and application on eMarkeptlace. You may view the bid online here. The timeline for the DCMP RFA is:
Questions Due: Friday, November 8, 2024 Publish Responses: Friday, November 22, 2024
Applications due: Monday, December 9, 2024 Evaluation Starts: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Questions should be directed to Steve Michelone, Office: 717-651-2106 | Mobile: 717-599-0624 Email: smichelone@pa.gov.
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Mitigation: Build Back Safer, Stronger
If you are eligible for disaster assistance under the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) you may receive additional FEMA funds within the grant to help you take specific mitigation measures to make your home stronger and more durable.
Why the additional funds? Because mitigation works! Mitigation is an action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to hazards. It is part of FEMA’s commitment to make communities more resilient to disaster.
In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration may increase an approved disaster loan by twenty percent of the verified loss for mitigation improvements.
Homeowners who suffer losses from a presidentially-declared disaster and apply for FEMA assistance will be informed if they qualify for Home Repair Assistance that provides for:
- Elevating a water heater or furnace to avoid future flood damage.
- Elevating or moving an electrical panel to avoid flood damage.
FEMA believes that incorporating proven techniques which make buildings more resistant to disaster can lessen the cost of restoring the property and shorten the time survivors are out of their homes. If you are interested in learning more about mitigation techniques, you can refer to a FEMA brochure, “Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards, Jan. 2013.” (https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/fema-mitigation-ideas_02-13-2013.pdf ) The brochure covers hazards from drought and earthquake to flood and wildfire.
Whatever technique you choose, remember to get the proper permits required in your locality, and to build back safely, up to local codes and professional standards.
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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received a Federal Register Notice (FRN) designating the following counties for Public Assistance: Cambria, Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Indiana, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming.
🟢🟢 FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program may aid faith-based organizations that provide essential social services to the public that were affected by Hurricane Debby. Houses of worship that were affected by h. Debby may submit a FEMA Request for Public Assistance through Grants Portal, an online recovery management tool. Any questions about the process can be answered by your local and/or state emergency manager.
Houses of worship that provide a noncritical social service, such as community and senior centers operated by nonprofit organizations, must go through the loan application process with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance program before FEMA can determine eligibility for the agency’s Public Assistance program, which reimburses expenses for emergency protective measures, debris removal and repair or rebuilding of disaster-damaged property. However, some activities regarding emergency protective measures that were performed in preparation for or response to the storm may be eligible without, or while pending, an SBA decision.
SBA’s low-interest disaster loans provide up to $2 million for damaged real estate and the repair or replacement of property, such as furniture, fixtures and other eligible inventory. For information about disaster assistance from SBA, visit SBA.gov/disaster or call 800-659-2955.
FEMA encourages protecting these damaged facilities from future events by taking hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
Here are some other helpful services:
Download the FEMA App
