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2024 Oregon Wildfires Public Assistance

 DR-4854-OR Disaster Declaration


Declared: January 1, 2025
Incident: Wildfires
Incident Period: July 10, 2024 - August 23, 2024

DR4854 Designated Areas and Branches Map


FEMA Public Assistance is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in the designated counties of Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wasco, and Wheeler Counties. 

The Public Assistance Program provides Federal financial assistance at a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of public facilities damaged by the Wildfires that occurred in Oregon from July 10 to August 23, 2024.

Eligible applicants include local governments, tribal governments, special districts, state agencies, and certain private nonprofits (PNP) that have incurred cost for response activities and/or have sustained facility damage as a direct result of the event of July 10 – August 23, 2024.

PNPs are those entities that provide a governmental type of service, and have a 501(c), (d) or (e) tax exception status. PNP applicants should refer to FEMA Public Assistance Program and Guide, page 43 regarding PNP eligible facilities and required documentation. Note: Certain PNPs that have damages to their facilities are directed to apply to SBA loan first, there are important deadlines to apply for SBA, see attached SBA Release OR 20946-01.

The Federal share of assistance is not less than 75% of the eligible cost for emergency measures and permanent restoration cost.

Please direct any questions to oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov

Initial Important Dates


Request for Public Assistance (RPA) 
To apply for assistance, potential applicants in the designated counties must complete a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in the FEMA Grants Portal by January 30, 2025. 

Damage Identification 
Applicants have 60 days from their Recovery Scoping Meeting (RSM) to identify and report damages.  Applicants may use the Damage Inventory Form to capture all disaster related damage claims. 

Applicant Briefing 
Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) Public Assistance will schedule a webinar Applicant Briefing (TBD). The Applicant Briefing is a presentation given by OEM staff and representatives to give an overview of the FEMA Public Assistance program and process. This briefing is not mandatory; however potential applicants are encouraged to attend. The briefings are approximately 60 minutes.

To apply for assistance each potential applicant must complete a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in FEMA Grants Portal by January 30, 2025 to be considered for FEMA Public Assistance under DR-4854-OR – Wildfires.

 

Applying for FEMA Public Assistance – Grants Portal

Eligible applicants include state, local governments, tribal governments, special districts, and certain private nonprofits (PNP) in designated areas and must apply directly in FEMA Grants Portal.

For new Applicants registering in Grants Portal:
  1. Go to  https://grantee.fema.gov/
  2. Register Your Organization for Public Assistance
  3. Complete organizational profile (basic information about organization)
  4. After the new Applicant completes the account request the account creation must be approved by the State (OEM) before the new Applicant can submit an RPA for DR-4854
  5. New Applicants will select NO when prompted in Grants Portal to submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) - DR-4854 option to submit RPA is not available until registration process is complete and approved by Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM)
  6. After OEM approves, the Applicant’s primary contact listed will receive a system generated email with a username and temporary password.
  7. Once Applicant receives, they can log back into FEMA Grants Portal to submit a Request for FEMA Public Assistance (RPA) for DR-4854
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SAM.gov​​​ Registration

Registering with SAM.gov is required to start and apply for FEMA Public Assistance.

To register your organization, you must have:
  1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI-SAM)
  2.  Active System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration

If your organization does not have a UEI-SAM number or active SAM registration, the following website provide information on creating or obtaining: https://sam.gov/content/home​


Already Registered in FEMA Grants Portal?

Applicants who are already registered in FEMA Grants Portal can submit an RPA for their organization directly by logging into https://grantee.fema.gov/  to complete the form through your organizational profile.

Unable to access FEMA Grants Portal to submit RPA or need assistance in creating Public Assistance Grants Portal user account? Please email: oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov for assistance if needed.

Note: A potential applicant did not have to participate in the Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) or Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) to be eligible to apply for assistance, nor is a potential applicant committed to receiving Federal assistance after submitting a Request for Public Assistance (RPA).

Deadline for Request for Public Assistance (RPA) submission is January 30, 2025

Exploratory Call

Once the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) is received, reviewed, and approved in FEMA Grants Portal, your organization will be assigned a FEMA and State Program Delivery Manager (PDMG) who will contact the Primary Contact/Applicant’s Agent listed on the RPA to arrange an Exploratory Call (this could take a couple weeks after RPA approval) as an induction call and to introduce the Public Assistance Delivery process. In preparing for discussions with FEMA and to assist in formulating your projects/damages attached is the OEM Damage Impact Inventory Form​. This is a tool to help applicants organize, prioritize, and assist FEMA and the State in the development of eligible projects.  It is recommended that each potential applicant utilize a damage inventory of their damages/costs to assist with identifying and prioritizing projects.​

Recovery Scoping Meeting (RSM) 

This at the first substantive meeting between the Applicant and FEMA which starts the 60-day regulatory timeframe for the Applicant to identity and report damages.  The RSM is built around the Damage Inventory and therefore, the applicant should have started a Damage Inventory for review during the RSM. ​​​​​

Environmental Considerations

Other than FEMA Public Assistance program eligibility failure to comply with applicable federal, tribal, state, and local environmental and historical preservation laws could jeopardize or delay federal funding.  FEMA will provide a “Green sheet” that provides guidance on the FEMA environmental and historic preservation (EHP) process (OEM PA will distribute upon receipt).

FEMA Public Assistance: Contracting Requirements

Failure to follow federal contracting requirements when procuring and selecting contractors puts applicants at risk of not receiving full reimbursement for eligible disaster costs. Further information on FEMA Public Assistance Procurement rules - https://www.fema.gov/grants/procurement​​

Documents:

FEMA Public Assistance references and other important information:

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​​Please direct any questions regarding Public Assistance to oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov

​For more information about other types of assistance that may be available, please contact oem.recovery@oem.oregon.gov​​​