What Is The Public Assistance Program?

Eligible Applicants

• Eligible applicants include the States, local governments, Indian tribes and certain PNP organizations.
• Eligible PNP facilities must be open to the public and perform essential services of a governmental nature.
  Eligible PNP facilities generally include the following:
  • Medical facilities, such as hospitals, outpatient and rehabilitation facilities.
  • Custodial care facilities that provide institutional care for persons who require close supervision and some physical constraints in their daily activities.
  • Educational facilities, such as primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities.
  • Emergency facilities, such as fire departments, rescue squads, and ambulance services.
  • Utilities, such as water, sewer, and electrical power systems.
  • Museums, zoos, community centers, libraries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, shelter workshops and facilities which provide health and safety services of a governmental nature.
    
    

Eligible Work

• Emergency Work
• Debris removal from public roads and rights - of - way as well as from private property when determined to be in the public interest.
• Emergency protective measures performed to eliminate or reduce immediate threats to the public, including search and rescue, warning of hazards, and demolition of unsafe structures.
• Permanent Work
• Work to restore an eligible damaged facility to its pre - disaster design. Work range from minor repairs to replacement.
• Categories of permanent work include:
• Roads, bridges and associated features, such as shoulders, ditches, culverts, lighting and signs.
• Water Control Facilities including drainage channels, pumping facilities, and the emergency repair of levees. Permanent repair of Flood Control Works is the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resources Conversation Service.
• Buildings including their contents and systems.
• Utility Distribution Systems, such as water treatment and delivery systems; power generation facilities and distribution lines; and sewage collection and treatment facilities.
• Public Parks, Recreational Facilities and Other Facilities, including playgrounds, swimming pools and cemeteries.
  
  

Application Process

• Applicants should attend a State - sponsored Applicants' Briefing to receive information about the Public Assistance Program and State requirements.
• Applicants should complete and submit to the State a Request for Public Assistance (Request) form. Applicants may submit the Request forms at the Applicants' Briefing, or submit them to the State within 30 days following the designation of the area in which the damage is located.
• Upon receipt of the Request form from the State, FEMA will assign a Public Assistance Coordinator to work with each applicant throughout the disaster recovery period.
• The State also will assign an Applicant Liaison to help the applicant.
• The Public Assistance Coordinator will meet with each applicant to discuss eligibility requirements and project formulation (Kickoff meeting).
• Applicants may prepare Project Worksheets for small projects if they have the resources to do so. Otherwise, FEMA and the State personnel will prepare the applicant's small and large projects.
• Applicants should contact the Public Assistance Coordinator prior to initiating repairs to facilities with Special Consideration issues (for example, environmental concerns or historic preservation).
• Applicants should document all damages and costs with pictures, written descriptions and financial records.
  
  

Project Requirements

• Time Limitations:
• Deadlines - The project completion deadlines are set from the date that the major disaster or emergency is declared.
  
  

  Type of Work	Months
  Emergency Work	6
  Permanent Work	18

  
  
• Variations -
  • The State or FEMA may impose shorter deadlines for the completion of work if considered appropriate.
  • Based on extenuating circumstances or unusual project requirements, the State may extend the deadlines for an additional 6 months for debris clearance and emergency work and an additional 30 months, on a project by project basis, for permanent work.
• Insurance Requirements:
• FEMA will reduce otherwise eligible costs by the actual or anticipated insurance recoveries the applicant receives. The State will notify FEMA of any entitlement to insurance settlement or recoveries for a facility and its contents.
• For insurable buildings located in a special flood hazard area and damaged by flood, the reduction is the maximum amount of insurance proceeds the applicant would have received had the building and its contents been fully covered by a standard flood insurance policy under the National Flood Insurance Program.
• The applicant is required to buy insurance in the amount of the eligible damages for flood and general hazards.
• Grants:
• For small projects (under $48,900 for FY00), the grant is based on an estimate of the cost of the work.
• For large projects ($48,900 or more), the final grant is based on actual elgibile costs. In large projects, the State will disburse progress payments, as required.

Common Questions

• Is there anything an applicant should be doing prior to meeting a FEMA program representative?
• Prepare a list of the damage sites and mark them on a county road map or city map.
• Gather copies of insurance policies on damaged structures.
• Be prepared to share information about historic structures that might be damaged, and structures that may have environmental concerns. FEMA Environmental / Historic Preservation Programs
• Keep disaster - related equipment, materials and labor costs separate from non - disaster work.
• How soon will an applicant receive funds from FEMA?
• After FEMA approves Project Worksheet, it puts the funds in the State's account. The State disburses funds to the applicants in accordance with its procedures. Please contact the Applicant Liaison for more information.
• How will applicants hear about the program?
• Anyone with Internet access may obtain information about the Public Assistance Program from the FEMA web page.
• The State will conduct Applicants' Briefings to share information with eligible applicants. The State usually publishes notices about the briefings in local newspapers, radio and television.

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