Tag FEMA Public Assistance

Many New FEMA IS Courses

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment

The month of February saw a huge release of new FEMA Independent Study (IS) courses.  Most of these address topics within the public assistance (PA) program, and get into the nitty gritty items that can delay processing of PA paperwork after a federal declaration.  Lots of good info here applicable to public works and highway managers, PA specialists, finance specialists, and emergency managers as a whole. The new courses are listed below.

 

-TR

Adjustment of Public Assistance Cost Share per Capita

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment

The following was provided in today’s FEMA Daily Digest Bulletin…

“Based on an increase of 0.8 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the 12-month period that ended December 2015, FEMA adjusted the calendar year 2016 statewide per capita indicator for recommending a cost share adjustment for the public assistance program to $137.

FEMA will recommend an increase in the standard 75 percent federal cost share to not more than 90 percent of eligible costs when a disaster is so extraordinary that actual federal obligations under the Stafford Act, excluding administrative costs, meet or exceed $137 per capita of state population. This adjustment applies to all disasters declared on or after January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.”

It’s always interesting that there are ‘rules’, yet so much of the declaration process is political.

TR

FEMA Publishes New Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment

Received in my ‘FEMA Daily Digest’ email this morning was FEMA’s announcement of a new Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide. After a quick review, it appears to be an excellent, comprehensive resource.

From their email…

“FEMA published the “Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide” that combines all existing policies into a self-contained, simple, adaptable, and searchable publication. The new “Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide” will replace all existing Public Assistance (PA) publications as well as the 9500 series policies. The consolidation of PA policies and guidance documents into a single publication will eliminate duplication and perceived inconsistency among the different documents and policies.

The “Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide” will be effective for disasters declared on or after January 1, 2016. Disasters that were declared prior to January 1, 2016 will still follow the 9500 series policies, which were in effect at the time of the disaster being declared. There are no substantive policy changes in the new guide.

The Public Assistance program anticipates that the Guide will be updated annually.

In the last ten years, the FEMA Public Assistance program averaged $4.7 billion in disaster assistance annually, making it the agency’s largest grant program. The Public Assistance program provides financial assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and certain private non-profits to aid their recovery following a disaster or emergency.

-TR

New York Recovery By the Numbers: Hurricane Sandy

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment

New York Recovery By the Numbers

Release date: February 22, 2013.

Release Number: NR-177.

NEW YORK — Disaster assistance to New York survivors of Hurricane Sandy:
•$2.4 billion in National Flood Insurance Program payments made to policy holders
•Nearly $909.9 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households•$788.5 million for housing assistance
•$121.4 million for other needs

•$1.07 billion in SBA disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses
•$669 million approved in FEMA Public Assistance grants to communities and some nonprofit organizations that serve the public
•5.3 million cubic yards of debris removed (95 percent)
•268,290 people contacted FEMA for help or information
•179,516 housing inspections completed
•160,131 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers
•More than 500 voluntary agencies involved in recovery
•25 languages used to communicate assistance information to survivors