Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security News Release
For immediate release, January 8, 2015
Contact: Elizabeth Duncan (208) 258-6595 or (208) 866-5969
eduncan@bhs.idaho.gov

IBHS and FEMA Conduct Briefing of Funding Opportunities following Presidential Disaster Declaration

 

BOISE, Idaho – Emergency management specialists from the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security (IBHS), with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), completed a briefing Thursday in Coeur d’Alene as a first step in getting assistance dollars to local and tribal governments as well as nonprofit utilities affected by the November 17 severe wind storm in four northern Idaho counties.

IBHS and FEMA are working in partnership as a result of the Dec. 23, 2015, presidential disaster declaration stemming from the Nov. 17, 2015, windstorm that left thousands without power for extended periods of time. The declaration makes FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and Hazard Mitigation (HMGP) grants available to eligible applicants in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

Potential applicants have until Jan. 22, 2016, to file a Request for Public Assistance with IBHS to initiate a claim under the disaster declaration.
“Thursday’s applicant briefing was an excellent start to the process of getting Public Assistance grants to entities that worked hard to protect local citizens, get power restored, and clear roads during and after the storm,” said Brad Richy, Director, Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. “We welcome FEMA’s partnership as we move into the next phase of working directly with each of the applicants.”

The Public Assistance program reimburses state and local governments, federally recognized tribes and nonprofit utility cooperatives for eligible expenses they incurred in protecting lives and property ahead of and during the storm, and in cleaning up and repairing afterward.

“We are committed to working closely with our Idaho state partner to expedite grants to eligible applicants in northern Idaho,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Thomas Dargan of FEMA. “Our goal is to support the communities and utilities that took steps to ensure people’s safety during the storm and to make repairs afterward.”

Meetings will be held between applicants and project managers from IBHS and FEMA to discuss which types of expenses and projects are federally reimbursable. Discussions include the process of rebuilding infrastructure to resist damage in the future. These meetings are an important step in getting assistance dollars to the applicants.

Under the PA and HMGP program, FEMA reimburses applicants for 75 percent of their eligible expenses, while the other 25 percent is the non-federal share. The federal portion is paid directly to the state, which then makes disbursements to the local and tribal jurisdictions and nonprofit organizations that incurred costs.

More information about the PA program is available at www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit and https://bhs.idaho.gov/Pages/Operations/DisasterAssistance/PublicAssistance.aspx.

Additional information for the specific disaster, including funds obligated, is available at www.fema.gov/disaster/4246.

 

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The Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security is a Division of the Idaho Military Division. The services we provide are to facilitate emergency management in Idaho, and to assist neighboring states. The men and women of this Division are dedicated to their mission of protecting the lives and property of the people of Idaho, as well as preserving the environmental and the economic health of Idaho.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

 

Original Release