Frequently Asked Questions

Rowena Fire FAQ

Last updated: Sept. 29, 2025

Why is a Major Disaster Declaration from the President needed for FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and/or FEMA Individual Assistance (IA)?

A federal disaster declaration is a necessary step in unlocking FEMA assistance for communities and individuals affected by a major disaster. Without this declaration, FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) are not available. The declaration confirms that the disaster exceeds state and local response capabilities and allows federal resources to be deployed to support recovery efforts.

Read more about this at: FEMA: How A Disaster Gets Declared

What is the difference between FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs?

FEMA administers two primary grant programs for disaster recovery:

Public Assistance (PA) provides supplemental funding to state, local, and tribal governments, and certain private nonprofits for emergency response and the repair or replacement of critical public infrastructure damaged by a disaster.

Individual Assistance (IA) offers limited financial and direct support to eligible individuals with uninsured or underinsured housing-related expenses and serious needs. IA is not intended to cover full replacement or recovery costs.

FEMA Individual Assistance is not a substitute for insurance and savings but can sometimes help bridge the gap for immediate needs and/or rental assistance until folks can work with their insurer to rebuild.

Both programs must be formally requested by the state and are only activated following a federal Major Disaster Declaration issued by the President of the United States.

Who is responsible for making the decision to request a Major Disaster Declaration from the President via FEMA or other post-disaster resources?

A Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) with FEMA will not be requested if the information gathered during the Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) by local and state officials doesn’t indicate it would meet the thresholds and criteria to warrant FEMA disaster assistance. The 2025 Rowena fire did not meet the criteria.

There has been some confusion around terminology, as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) calls their version of the state-led initial damage assessment a “preliminary damage assessment (PDA).” The SBA PDA was conducted by local and state authorities, at the request of the county and the governor requested the SBA issue an SBA Disaster Declaration for the Rowena Fire. The thresholds for SBA declarations are significantly lower than for FEMA declarations. More than $2 million dollars in SBA Loans have already been offered to applicants affected by the Rowena Fire.

There was not enough infrastructure damage to request a FEMA PDA. Damages to homes were significant but given all the factors FEMA looks at when taking into consideration a governor’s request, the disaster did not warrant the state requesting FEMA conduct a PDA.

Why wasn’t Public Assistance (PA) requested for the Rowena Fire?

The Rowena Fire did not have enough eligible damages to publicly owned and maintained infrastructure to qualify for public assistance. Private homes are not eligible losses to be counted within a Public Assistance Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment.

Read more about this at: FEMA: How A Disaster Gets Declared

Was Individual Assistance (IA) requested for the Rowena Fire? If not, why?

The Rowena Fire, while devastating to the local communities, did not meet FEMA thresholds for a Major Disaster Declaration, which is needed to make requests for Individual and Public Assistance. This determination was based on multiple reviews of the state-coordinated Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) that was conducted by county officials and other agencies following FEMA policy. That Initial Damage Assessment, while pointing to a FEMA denial, did point to qualifying Rowena for the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan program. This is the reason why Wasco County requested the state pursue an SBA declaration over a FEMA declaration on July 2, 2025.

Additionally, pursuing other funding and loan sources (like the SBA loan program) must wait for the FEMA disaster declaration process to be completed before moving forward. Given it can take months to get a major disaster declaration from the president, and all the criteria pointed at denial, it was decided the best option to get aid quickly was to pursue the SBA declaration over the Presidential declaration. The State of Oregon makes every reasonable effort to secure federal aid when conditions exist for major disaster declarations.

The SBA approved the governor’s request on July 16, 2025. This declaration allowed small businesses, homeowners, and renters to apply for low-interest loans to help repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles. As of September 26, 2025, the SBA has received 21 loan applications and made loan offers totaling more than $2 million.

What criteria does FEMA use to determine eligibility for Individual Assistance, and how did the Rowena disaster compare?

Once a Major Disaster Declaration is made by the President, FEMA uses six key Individual Assistance Declaration Factors to evaluate whether a community qualifies for Individual Assistance (IA) as part of a major disaster declaration. These criteria are outlined in federal regulation 44 C.F.R. § 206.48(b) and guide FEMA’s recommendation to the President:

Federal Criteria for IA Declaration:

State Fiscal Capacity and Resource Availability Assesses whether the state has the financial and operational capacity to respond without federal aid.
Uninsured Home and Personal Property Losses Evaluates the extent of damage to homes and belongings that are not covered by insurance.
Disaster-Impacted Population Profile Considers the demographics of affected individuals, including age, income, disability status, and language barriers.
Impact to Community Infrastructure Looks at disruptions to essential services like water, power, transportation, and public safety.
Casualties Accounts for deaths and injuries directly caused by the disaster.
Disaster-Related Unemployment Measures job loss or interruption due to the disaster, especially in vulnerable sectors.

These factors are reviewed holistically—there’s no single threshold or formula. The first 2 on the list are what FEMA considers “primary factors”; while factors 3-6 are considerations that may only move the needle slightly when considering a state’s request for individual assistance. FEMA aims to ensure that federal assistance is directed to communities with significant unmet needs and limited capacity to recover on their own.

The Rowena Fire event that occurred in June in Wasco County did not meet the criteria to warrant a Major Disaster Declaration by FEMA. If OEM believed there was even a small chance Rowena met the criteria, we would have requested one, just as we did for flooding in Harney, Coos, Curry and Douglas counties in 2025. The Rowena disaster was smaller than those flooding events in terms of magnitude of damage. It’s worth noting that the flooding events in the fall didn’t receive IA from FEMA either.

What is Oregon’s current approach to funding debris removal, and how might a dedicated fund affect recovery efforts in communities such as Rowena?

Oregon does not currently have a statewide debris removal fund or a state-level individual assistance program specifically designated for post-disaster cleanup and financial support for affected individuals. State funding for debris removal typically requires legislative appropriation of funds. The appropriations occur during regularly scheduled legislative processes. This process can result in delays in initiating cleanup and recovery efforts following a disaster.

In the case of Rowena, OEM established a Debris Removal Taks Force. This group includes the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Department of Transportation along with local and regional entities. The task force works to coordinate safe and effective debris removal strategies but doesn’t have a fund to pay for the actual work. If debris removal project costs exceed the local ability to pay, the funds must still be fronted by a local or state agency and then recouped during a regular legislative process. There is no guarantee the agency (local or state) will be able to get a reimbursement, as there are a number of competing priorities for state funds that the legislature must balance.

What other assistance does the state make available to disaster survivors and local jurisdictions?

The Local Disaster Assistance Loan and Grant Account was established after the 2020 wildfires, as an account in the Oregon Disaster Response Fund. The account consists of moneys appropriated by the Legislative Assembly and any other moneys deposited into the account pursuant to law. There haven’t been any appropriations to date.

Currently, state assistance to households impacted by disasters is provided through the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (ODHS OREM) when a single event causes damage that exceeds the local government's capacity to respond. Support depends on the severity of the damage, the availability of state funding and resources, and whether the situation meets criteria for additional aid. Not all incidents qualify, and each request is evaluated by the legislature individually.

At the request of the county, ODHS OREM is working with county and local leaders to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment. The results could help inform a request to the Oregon Legislature for state-level assistance. OREM is providing Disaster Case Management (DCM), which is a time-limited, collaborative process where a trained case manager works directly with individuals or families affected by a disaster. Call the disaster case management hotline 1-833-669-0554 if you haven’t already connected with one.

OEM coordinates with other state agencies, federal and private nonprofit organizations to support local recovery efforts. This coordination ensures we are leveraging all available programs and resources to aid in the recovery efforts of a community, regardless of the size of the disaster.

For the Rowena Wildfire Recovery support, OEM stood up recovery coordination meetings consisting of federal, state, and local partners. During these coordination meetings, partners discuss recovery challenges, resources, state/county recovery considerations and next steps to support locally led recovery efforts.

Resources often include:

Small Business Administration loan program,
USDA loan and grant programs,
Water Resources Department – Well Abandonment Repair and Replacement Program (available Fall 2025),
Department of Consumer and Business Services insurance support.
Business Oregon Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund and Water/Wastewater Financing Program,
EPA Wastewater Technical Assistance,
DEQ Onsite Septic Program,
Oregon Department of Human Services temporary drinking water and unmet needs grant.

Additional resources can be found at Oregon Wildfire Response and Recovery.

Due to local needs, OEM leadership also activated the Sheltering and Housing Task Force and Debris Management Task Force.

OEM also provided support to the Rowena Fire Volunteer and Donations Task Force and helped make connections to faith-based and community organizations that offer disaster relief.

Multiple state partners are assisting the county with the establishment of the Wasco County Long-term Recovery Group to act as a point of support and resources for the people of Rowena.

Homeowners or renters should always be up to date on their insurance policy and file a claim quickly to help with debris cleanup and rebuilding. The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) Division of Financial Regulation has a helpful toolkit on navigating wildfire insurance. If you are not sure where to start, you can call the division’s consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free), or email dfr.insurancehelp@dcbs.oregon.gov.

The governor also requested the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issue an SBA Administrative Disaster Declaration as a result of the Rowena Fire, at Wasco County’s request. The SBA approved the governor’s request on July 16, 2025. This declaration allows small businesses, homeowners, and renters to apply for low-interest loans to help repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles. As of September 26, 2025, the SBA has received 21 loan applications and made loan offers totaling more than $2 million.

Oregon Wildfire Response & Recovery