FEMA Denies Assistance for Frankenstorm Victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency ("FEMA") has decided not to grant individual assistance to Webster County residents who suffered losses from the October 29, 2012 "Frankenstorm."

Previously, FEMA granted "public" assistance to state agencies, counties, cities, and towns that incurred losses from the big snow storm. That type of public assistance included Webster County.

The recent FEMA decision to deny "individual" assistance to individual residents of Webster County also included a decision to deny such assistance to residents of Fayette, Nicholas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, and Wyoming counties as well.

In a statement released Monday, West Virginia Governor Earl Tomblin said he is appealing FEMA's decision to deny individual assistance to residents of Webster and the other counties. The Governor's office noted that FEMA made a similar decision to deny individual assistance to victims of the Summer windstorm and FEMA eventually reversed its denial and granted individual assistance to windstorm victims. The Governor's office is hopeful that FEMA will reconsider its recent decision denying assistance to individual victims of the Frankenstorm.

The "public" assistance for local governments like the County of Webster County can include as required:

1. Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures, including direct federal assistance, taken to save lives and protect property and public health. 
2. Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities. 
3. Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters.

Further information about FEMA and disaster assistance can be accessed at the following FEMA website: http://www.fema.gov/