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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions not addressed here, please email OEM_PublicInfo@oem.oregon.gov.

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.

​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. ​

​A major disaster declaration request is made by the Governor when a disaster clearly exceeds state and local response capabilities. This request is submitted through the FEMA Regional Administrator and must demonstrate that the disaster's severity and magnitude require supplemental federal assistance, that the state emergency plan has been activated, and that state and local resources have already been committed. Federally recognized Tribal governments may make an independent request through their Tribal Chief Executive.

Alongside this process, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) conducts its own damage assessments to support disaster recovery for homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofits:

These SBA assessments are separate from the FEMA Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs), but both inform the overall disaster recovery strategy.

Depending on the size of the incident and the amount of infrastructure damage, an SBA declaration may be the only resource available, as the damage thresholds are lower.​

​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: 

  1. State Fiscal Capacity and Resource Availability Assesses whether the state has the financial and operational capacity to respond without federal aid. 
  2. Uninsured Home and Personal Property Losses Evaluates the extent of damage to homes and belongings that are not covered by insurance. 
  3. Disaster-Impacted Population Profile Considers the demographics of affected individuals, including age, income, disability status, and language barriers. 
  4. Impact to Community Infrastructure Looks at disruptions to essential services like water, power, transportation, and public safety. 
  5. Casualties Accounts for deaths and injuries directly caused by the disaster. 
  6. 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. ​