Help is Still Available after the FEMA Deadline

The deadline to apply for FEMA disaster assistance has passed but help from FEMA and others is still available for renters, homeowners and businesses in Spokane County affected by the Gray-Oregon Road wildfires.

Disaster Recovery Centers

Representatives of FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), state and local governments and private organizations can assist you at the two Disaster Recovery Centers listed below until they close permanently at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27. 

Country Church of the Open Bible

40015 N. Collins Rd.

Elk, WA 99009

Medical Lake City Hall

124 S. Lefevre St.

Medical Lake, WA 99022

• At the centers, FEMA staff can answer your questions face-to-face about the status of your application, appealing FEMA’s decision or obtaining other available resources.
• If you require a reasonable accommodation -- such as language translation, mobility assistance, or sign language interpretation -- email FEMA-language-access-request@fema.dhs.gov or notify staff at a disaster center.

Connect with FEMA to Access all Available Resources 

• If you have applied, stay in touch with FEMA after the deadline. Keep us up-to-date on any changes in your circumstances or contact information as well as the current status of your insurance settlement. 
• Most importantly, ask any questions that may arise concerning your recovery.
• To stay in touch, use the same contacts used for registering: online at disasterassistance.gov, the FEMA mobile app, or FEMA’s Disaster Hotline at 800-621-3362. People who use a relay service, captioned telephone service or other assistive service should give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available. 

Look Toward FEMA’s Partners in State and Local Governments and Private Organizations 

• Throughout the recovery process, FEMA collaborates with trusted community leaders and faith-based organizations knowledgeable with Spokane County needs. FEMA recommends reaching out to:
  • Spokane Regional Long Term Recovery Group for assistance at SRLTRG.org. The community group focuses on managing resources throughout the rebuilding and recovery.
  • Salvation Army Case managers at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Medical Lake or The Country Church of the Open Bible and New Hope Resource Center in Medical Lake. For more information, contact the Salvation Army of Spokane at spokane.salvationarmy.org.
  • Washington Connection.org offers a way to find and apply for a variety of services and assistance online. Provide basic household information online, and Washington Connection will let you know which programs or services you or your family may be qualified to receive from various local, state or federal sources. You can also apply for assistance in person at a local Community Service Office or by calling the Customer Service Contact Center at 877-501-2233. (Washington State Dept. of Social and Health Services.)
  • Call 2-1-1 for Referrals to available resources in Washington.
  • The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture USDA offers a variety of programs to help farmers, ranchers, communities, and businesses that have been hard hit by natural disaster events. Visit farmers.gov.