Federal Disaster Aid Approved for Local Governments Impacted by Debby Disaster

Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster Public Assistance was approved for state, county, and municipal governments that had eligible damage in Cambria, Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Indiana, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming counties from Tropical Storm Debby August 9-10. Funds will cover eligible damages to public infrastructure, as well as certain critical non-profits damage and other costs associated with the disaster.  

The FEMA Public Assistance (PA) program provides communities and certain critical non-profits with grants to repair eligible expenses, such as fixing or replacing damaged infrastructure, equipment rentals and materials, and overtime costs. To request FEMA PA, the commonwealth must accrue a cumulative total of $23.9 million in eligible disaster response and recovery damage and costs, along with each eligible county meeting a damage and cost threshold based on population. As of October 10, the commonwealth exceeded $26 million in validated damage throughout 12 counties, with additional damage being considered by FEMA. Additional counties may be added later if sufficient damage is validated. 

To learn more about applying for Public Assistance, click here. For the press release, click here. Townships applying for funds are reminded to verify that their SAM.gov registration is in active status, a requirement for all federal funds.