The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal emergency aid in the form of Public Assistance (PA) has been made available to the state of Alabama to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions in the area affected by Hurricane Nate beginning on October 6, 2017 and concluding on October 10, 2017.
Public Assistance (PA) is FEMA’s largest grant program providing funds to assist communities responding to and recovering from major disasters or emergencies declared by the President. Eligible applicants include states, federally recognized tribal governments, local governments, and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations.
The declaration type is an Emergency Declaration which makes supplemental emergency assistance available under PA.
FEMA can help pay for actions taken by the community (almost always government agencies) before, during, and after a disaster to save lives, protect public health and safety, and prevent damage to improved public and private property. Examples of measures that may be eligible include:
- Warning of risks and hazards
- Search and rescue
- Emergency evacuations
- Emergency mass care
- Rescue, evacuation, transportation, care, shelter, and essential needs for humans affected by the outbreak and spread of an influenza pandemic
- Protection for an eligible facility
- Security in the disaster area
- Provision of food, water, ice, and other essential items at central distribution points
- Temporary generators for facilities that provide health and safety services
- Rescue, care, shelter, and essential needs for household pets and service animals if claimed by a State or local government
- Temporary facilities for schools and essential community services
- Emergency operations centers to coordinate and direct the response to a disaster
- Demolition and removal of public and private buildings and structures that pose an immediate threat to the safety of the general public
- Removal of health and safety hazards
- Construction of emergency protection measures to protect lives or improved property (for example, temporary levees)
- Emergency measures to prevent further damage to an otherwise eligible facility (for example, boarding windows) Restoration of access
- Inspections if necessary to determine whether structures pose an immediate threat to public health or safety
For more information about the declaration process go to https://ema.alabama.gov/stafford-act-declaration-process/ .