Disaster Assistance - Local Governments, Houses of Worship & Non-Profits

To apply for Public Assistance Program funds, applicants must:
•         Be a government body -- including but not limited to: town, school board, city, police station or state agency, OR
•         Be a private non-profit (PNP) group -- such as a hospital, volunteer fire department, electrical membership corporation, houses of worship, museum, etc. AND
•         Have damages from a disaster equal to or exceeding $3,140 AND
•         Be in a federally-declared county to be eligible for Public Assistance (see list here)

Eligible work is covered via shared costs: the federal share is typically 75 percent and the state covers the remaining 25 percent. Under certain circumstances, the federal share may be 90 or even 100 percent.
Costs of eligible work fall under two broad categories – Emergency Work and Permanent Work. 

• Emergency Work includes that which helps to immediately protect public health and safety
• Permanent Work includes restoring damaged facilities to their pre-disaster design, function and capacity following applicable codes or standards.
   

++  Some Houses of Worship may now be eligible as a private non-profit organization for Public Assistance funds to be reimbursed for damages sustained in a federally-declared disaster. Please submit requests for more information to pubic.assistance@ncdps.gov.  

To be considered for funding, interested government agencies and non-profit organizations must submit an initial application within 30 days of when their county was declared a federal disaster. 

Organizations/governments based in Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico and Pender counties must apply by October 14.

Organizations/governments based in Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Jones, Lenoir, Robeson, Sampson and Wayne counties must apply by October 17.

Organizations/governments based in Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Pitt, Richmond, Scotland and Wilson counties must apply by October 24.

Organizations/governments in Greene County must apply by October 28

FEMA, in 2017, implemented a new approach to more effectively and efficiently manage the Public Assistance (PA) Program: using a Public Assistance Grant Portal. All PA program applications are now submitted online after the agency/organization first registers their interest with the state. The new approach avoids some of the challenges that have been associated with the early stages of the grants process.

Step 1: Register with NC Emergency Management by emailing public.assistance@ncdps.gov.

Step 2: Submit application online through FEMA's Public Assistance Grants Portal. (NCEM will send each applicant portal access instructions once they have registered.) Applicants can use the portal to upload documents such as the “Request for Public Assistance,” invoices, etc. for the grant application.

Debris Removal

• Hurricane Florence Debris Removal Guidance (PDF from NC Emergency Management, Sept 2018) 
• NC Division of Emergency Management Debris Contract Template 
   

NC Emergency Management Act

• NCGS Chapter 166A: North Carolina Emergency Management Act 
• NCGS Chapter 14, Article 36A: Riots and Civil Disorders 
• Summary of changes to Chapter 166A (HB843) 

FEMA Publications

• Public Assistance Application Process (pdf)
• Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (May 2018)
• FEMA 90-49: Request for Public Assistance (pdf)

Applicants Briefings are held for governments, non-profit organizations and houses of worship to outline the progran and discuss the grants process.