Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the federal government has granted his request for Public Assistance to reimburse state agencies, county and municipal governments and other eligible private nonprofits for costs associated with heavy rainfall and severe flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida to parts of Pennsylvania from Aug. 31-Sept. 5.
“Storms of this nature have enduring impacts, and while the immediate needs of those affected by the damages Ida brought to Pennsylvania continue to be addressed, my administration has also sought to alleviate the burden posed to local governments as they continue to rebuild critical infrastructure,” Wolf said. “The public assistance declaration is a vital resource for our communities to seek relief from the staggering costs associated with rebuilding roads, bridges and other public property.”
Public Assistance was awarded to Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties. Damage assessments and reviews are ongoing and other counties may be added.
Through the Public Assistance program, eligible applicants can be reimbursed up to 75 percent of the costs incurred for specific categories of assistance provided during the response to and recovery from the impacts of Hurricane Ida in the commonwealth. Examples of expenses that may be reimbursed include costs associated with debris management, repairs to damaged roads and bridges, emergency sheltering of displaced individuals, equipment rentals and materials. State funding has been made available to assist in offsetting the remaining 25 percent.
Over the coming weeks, staff from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency will hold meetings with applicants to thoroughly review all application documentation before forwarding it to FEMA. The process is expected to take several weeks, and all reimbursements are handled electronically.
In order to request Public Assistance, the commonwealth overall must meet a threshold of $19,688,913. Estimated costs associated with this incident period to date total over $41.3 million. The governor signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, which is first required to request federal aid, for this storm on Aug. 31.
Affected Pennsylvanians residing in Bucks, as well as Bedford, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and York counties, additionally have opportunities to receive financial assistance through FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program. More information is available at pema.pa.gov/ida
