How to get recovery assistance for west coast wildfires

By Nathan Brunet on September 16th, 2020

Smoke covers the entire Oregon west coast in this satellite image by nasa.gov.

Editor's Note: FEMA recovery assistance for residents is currently only available in certain Oregon counties. Even though there are recent FEMA wildfire management efforts in California, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, disaster assistance for residents has not yet been approved for any of these areas.

If you are in need of emergency assistance as a result of a natural disaster, these options are available to you:

  • Emergency Assistance
    • Dial 9-1-1.
  • Emergency Shelter
  • Disabilities or Access and Functional Needs
  • Other Needs
    • Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 / TTY (800) 462-7585 to find if there may be additional referrals.

How to get disaster recovery assistance in Oregon

As wildfires spread throughout the west coast, the president approved a Major Disaster Declaration for several Oregon counties yesterday. Residents in these areas can now apply for assistance such as temporary housing and home repairs.

Oregon residents who have been affected by wildfires dating back to September 7, 2020 can apply for assistance if their county has been declared eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance program.

Services provided by FEMA's Individual Assistance program may include:

  • Individuals and Households Program
    (Temporary housing assistance, home repair funds, and permanent housing construction)
  • Crisis Counseling Program
  • Disaster Case Management
  • Disaster Unemployment Assistance
  • Disaster Legal Services

FEMA has identified the following Oregon counties to be eligible for Individual Assistance:

  • Clackamas County
  • Douglas County
  • Jackson County
  • Klamath County
  • Lane County
  • Lincoln County
  • Linn County
  • Marion County
Map of the Oregon counties receiving FEMA Public and Individual Assistance. Image by fema.gov

How to apply for FEMA disaster assistance:

OR

  • Call 1-800-621-3362, or TTY 1-800-462-7585.

Within this same Major Disaster Declaration, FEMA is providing emergency protective measures to local governments in the following counties:

  • Benton County
  • Clackamas County
  • Columbia County
  • Coos County
  • Deschutes County
  • Douglas County
  • Jackson County
  • Jefferson County
  • Josephine County
  • Klamath County
  • Lake County
  • Lane County
  • Lincoln County
  • Linn County
  • Marion County
  • Multnomah County
  • Tillamook County
  • Wasco County
  • Washington County
  • Yamhill County

This is a Public Assistance service for state, tribal, and local governments to actively manage the threat. It does not offer emergency services to individuals.

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