President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Virginia
This update was published by
Published: May 18, 2021
On May 10, 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced federal disaster assistance has been made available to the Commonwealth of Virginia to supplement commonwealth, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms from Feb. 11-13, 2021. As the pass-through agency for this funding program, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is thankful for the President’s approval of this declaration as it will provide additional financial recovery opportunities during what has already been a very tough year in the midst of COVID-19. The Public Assistance (PA) program is a financial grant program that provides reimbursement for eligible emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities as a direct result of this disaster. The federal cost share is 75% of eligible costs.
Potential Applicants for the PA grant program include localities, tribal governments, state agencies and certain private non-profits in the following designated jurisdictions: Amelia, Appomattox, Bedford, Brunswick, Campbell, Caroline, Charlotte, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Essex, Floyd, Franklin, Goochland, Greensville, Halifax, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, and Richmond counties. Additional designations may be made if requested by June 9th, and warranted by the results of further damage assessments that are ongoing in Virginia. Applicants have until June 9th to submit an official Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in the FEMA Grants Portal to be considered for the program. Submitting an RPA is a requirement for federal assistance.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire commonwealth under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will be available in all areas of Virginia. This program provides financial grant assistance for actions taken to reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards. More information will be forthcoming about the application timeline for HMGP, as VDEM has 12 months to submit applications to FEMA.
More information on the application process will be available on VDEM’s disaster-specific website and on FEMA’s website for FEMA-4602-DR information updates. You can also contact VDEM recovery at recovery@vdem.virginia.gov..
Agency Contact
Lauren Opett
Director of Communications and Chief Agency Spokesperson