Los Angeles County residents who were impacted by January’s wildfires have until 8:59 p.m. Monday to apply for federal disaster assistance.
County officials issued a reminder that Monday is the final day to apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, disaster loans from the Small Business Administration and disaster unemployment assistance.
Impacted residents and homeowners can apply at disasterassistance.gov, with a FEMA representative at a Disaster Recovery Center or call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362.
Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations located in a declared disaster areas may be eligible for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans. More information on the loans is available at www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance.
Information related to disaster unemployment assistance can be found at edd.ca.gov/en/unemployment/disaster_unemployment_assistance.
Meanwhile, property owners who lost their homes due to the fires have more time to opt in to a free U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fire debris-removal program.
FEMA has extended that deadline until April 15. Residents were being urged to file “Right of Entry” forms, allowing the federal agency to access their properties and clear fire debris.
Residents impacted by the fires must file the forms to either opt in or out of the USACE free debris-removal program. Residents who opt out of the program will have to hire private contractors to conduct the removal work, at their own expense.
Information on how to complete the forms is available online at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/roe. The forms can be completed online, or at a Disaster Recovery Center located at the UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, or in Altadena at 540 W. Woodbury Road.
The forms are available in Spanish, Russian, Armenian, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
The debris-removal program had been limited to residential homes, but FEMA notified the state Friday that it was being expanded to include owner-occupied condominiums, multi-family residential properties and select commercial properties which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, according to the governor’s office.
Commercial properties will be evaluated on criteria including whether they present an immediate threat to public health and safety, if the commercial property owner faces barriers to completing the debris-removal process and the economic impact of the debris removal on the owner and community.