- Denise Rockenstein
- Posted On
Help offered for Valley fire victims at Clearlake Disaster Recovery Center; SBA process explained
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Disaster Recovery Center, serving as a one-stop-shop for victims of the Valley fire, has been established in the Burns Valley Shopping Mall in Clearlake.
Representatives of several agencies are on hand to connect victims with resources to assist them in their recovery from the most destructive fire event in Lake County history.
The Valley fire, which began on Sept. 12, ripped through more than 76,000 acres, displacing hundreds of families in the Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake areas.
State and federal assistance to help rebuild those communities and the lives affected is available and accessible at the Disaster Recovery Center in Clearlake, at 14848 Olympic Drive in the former location of Apria Health Care, and at a similar site at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.
“We are opening locations closer to the affected area to provide disaster relief funds for homeowners, renters, business owners and private nonprofits,” Susheel Kumar, public information officer of the Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance, said.
“The more locations we open closer to the affected area, the better the opportunity for folks to come in and apply for disaster relief. The idea is to gather as many service agencies under one roof as possible, from counseling assistance to legal and insurance help. It's a one-stop-shop for fire victims,” Kumar explained.
Kumar said the process begins once clients obtain an identification number through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
Under federal authority, FEMA may provide financial assistance and, if necessary, direct services to eligible individuals and households, who, as a direct result of a major disaster, have necessary expenses and serious needs and are unable to meet such expenses or needs through other means.
FEMA programs are designed to help meet essential needs and assist individuals and their households in taking the first steps toward recovery. However, programs are not intended to return all homes or belongings to their predisaster conditions.
“Registration is key,” Kumar said. “The first thing an applicant needs to do is register with FEMA because that unlocks all the assistance programs that the federal government offers.”
The Individuals and Households Program (IHP), offered through FEMA, provides money and services to people in the disaster area when losses are not covered by insurance and property has been damaged or destroyed.
Types of assistance available through IHP include:
– Temporary housing: Money is available to rent a different place to live, or a government-provided housing unit when rental properties are not available.
– Repair: Money is available to homeowners to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to make the damaged home safe, sanitary and functional.
– Replacement: Money is available to homeowners to replace their home destroyed in the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to help the homeowner with the cost of replacing their destroyed home.
– Permanent/semi-permanent housing construction: Direct assistance or money for the construction of a home is available. This type of help occurs only in insular areas or remote locations specified by FEMA, where no other type of housing assistance is possible.
– Other needs: Money is available for necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster. This includes medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, moving and storage, and other expenses that are authorized by law.
Money received through the IHP can only be used for eligible expenses. If money is not used as explained by FEMA, clients may not be eligible for any additional held and may have to return the money.
Assistance is typically limited to up to 18 months from the date the president declares the disaster. Money does not have to be repaid and is tax-free.
Additionally, it is not counted as income or a resource for determining eligibility for welfare, income assistance, or income-tested benefit programs funded through the federal government.
The money also is exempt from garnishment, seizure, encumbrance, levy, execution, pledge, attachment, release or waiver. It cannot be reassigned or transferred to another person.
Those receiving the monetary assistance must keep receipts or bills for three years to demonstrate how all of the money was used in meeting disaster-related needs.
IHP does not cover business-related losses or losses covered by insurance.
While some money is available through IHP, according to the “Help After a Disaster” guide, on hand at the Disaster Recovery Centers, most disaster aid from the federal government is in the form of loans from the SBA, which must be repaid.
Those who apply to IHP may be required to seek help from SBA first, before being considered for certain types of IHP assistance.
The unique identification number issued by FEMA when applicants register must be provided to apply for a loan through the SBA.
Types of loans available through the SBA include:
– Home disaster loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate or personal property owned by the victim. Renters are eligible for their personal property losses including automobiles.
– Business physical disaster loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private non-profit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities, etc. are also eligible.
– Economic injury disaster loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and small businesses engaged in aquaculture; and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.
Interest rates are based on whether or not each applicant can obtain credit elsewhere. Interest rates are lower for those who cannot. Kumar said funds are expedited and without administrative closing fees.
According to Kumar, after applying for an SBA loan, an inspector will come out to verify losses within about three-to-five business days. Within seven to 10 days, he said, the credit underwriting decision is rendered.
“Within 18 to 21 days, funds are usually in the disaster applicant's hand,” Kumar said. “Decisions are rendered pretty quickly as long as the information submitted is complete.”
The deadline to apply for loans to assist with physical damage is Nov. 23. The deadline for economic injury loans is June 22, 2016.
Kumar advises applicants to begin the process immediately, despite whether or not they know the full extent of their damages.
“Be aware. Sometimes after a disaster, contractors from out-of-town come in and try to take advantage of victims,” Maria Padron, FEMA public information officer, said. “Always pay with check and never pay the whole amount.”
Padron also cautions victims regarding their personal and financial information. She said applicants will be asked to provide their Social Security numbers and banking information only once – during the registration process. After registering, applicants will be asked only for their identification number.
Padron said applicants who may receive a denial letter should further their inquiry. “The eligibility letter may not be the last word on assistance,” she said. “Those people should come to a DRC location. It could mean their information is incomplete, from verifications to missing signatures. Also, there is a right to appeal.”
To begin the process and register with FEMA, applicants may call 800-621-FEMA (3362); hearing/speech impaired only, 800-462-7585; or register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov .
Disaster Recovery Center operation hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .