Applying for fire relief help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other agencies?
Know that it will take patience.
That’s a reminder from Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. fire administrator with the agency that is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
At a Thursday afternoon, Jan. 9, news conference, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Kathryn Barger said she’d heard from some constituents that the FEMA online process for assistance had been quickly denying their claim attempts.
“I’m following up on that to find out what is going on,” Barger said, adding, “it is completely mind boggling to me that people who lost everything are filling out a form as told and then are getting an immediate denial.”
“It’s a process,” Moore-Merrell said in a Friday, Jan. 10, phone interview when asked about the reports.
“Don’t take the first denial, have some tenacity when completing the internet application.”
With the overwhelming scope of the Los Angeles County fires, she said, “this is going be long way to recovery for everybody. And, unfortunately, internet apps can make the process a little bit challenging.”
Those having problems with the application process, she said, can call 800-621-3362 for help.
As the fires still rage amid the unprecedented devastation throughout a large swath of Los Angeles County, Moore-Merrell said FEMA workers are on the ground — the agency’s Region 9 is headquartered in Oakland — with other relief workers. She also visited the area Thursday.
The recent major disaster declaration by the Biden Administration “opens up a lot of resources,” Moore-Merrell said. “It’s not just the coverage of the firefighting (100% for 180 days), but also for individual assistance.”
The first step, she said, will be for homeowners to contact their insurance companies as questions related to that will be on the application for FEMA assistance.
“Should you get a denial message, sometimes it’s (due to) a question that needs further answers” or needs insurance verification details, she said. “The process itself is long.”
Even more so, Moore-Merrell said, due to the vast scope of the devastation.
FEMA covers debris removal, which must be done “all before rebuilding,” she said. “All of that has to take place first.”
But the application process is available now for homeowners seeking individual relief. Renters should contact their rental insurance representatives, Moore-Merrell said.
According to the FEMA website:
“Los Angeles County residents who have disaster-related needs due to the fires may be eligible for financial assistance. Damage assessments are continuing, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are completed.
“FEMA disaster assistance is intended to meet the basic needs of your household for uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs to jumpstart your recovery. If you have insurance and are applying for FEMA disaster assistance, you must file a claim with your insurance company first. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If insurance does not cover all your damage, you may be eligible for federal assistance.”
Moore-Merrell said, “We’re in (the initial) ‘response’ mode” of what will ultimately be a long process. Disaster relief offices will be set up later.
“I know this may have been unexpected,” she said of the fires, “but it should not have been.”
She cited the large-scale overgrowth of vegetation, homes built in fire-prone areas, and “a lot of wood — wood fences, sheds, combustible building materials and a lot of drought weather conditions.” All were variables that joined, she said, to produce the firestorm once high wind conditions were added into the mix.
Fire departments, she said, have been “messaging on how to clear your property, how to prepare and create a defensible space.”
Residents should use stone rather than mulch along with succulent plants, she said, and replace wood fences and other structures with fire-resistant materials.
L.A. County isn’t alone, she said. There are many communities across the nation in similar situations.
“Know where you live,” she said.
“When the winds arrive, and if they get some ignition, it’s off to the races,” she said, adding that winds take flames and embers to homes and neighborhoods that are nowhere near areas typically prone to wildfires.
As for this particular long road to recovery, Moore-Merrell said: “Patience is going to become a virtue.”