FEMA PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL $8.5 MILLION FOR NORTH DAKOTA COVID-19 RESPONSE [https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/fema-provides-additional-85-million-north-dakota-covid-19-response] Release Date: November 18, 2020 DENVER – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided more than $8.5 million in additional Public Assistance funding for the COVID-19 response in North Dakota.  The assistance was made available under the major disaster declaration issued April 1 by President Trump. During the declaration period, more than $8.5 million in federal funds were provided to the North Dakota Department of Health for emergency protective measures for labor, materials and contracts to increase COVID-19 laboratory testing. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding for emergency actions undertaken by communities to protect public safety, providing at least a 75-percent funding share for eligible costs. Remaining costs are the responsibility of the state and local applicants for assistance. For the COVID-19 response, FEMA simplified the Public Assistance application and funding process to address the magnitude of this event and to allow local officials to receive eligible funding more quickly. These reimbursements can play a critical role as state, local and tribal officials work tirelessly to assist their communities during this response. To date, FEMA has provided more than $21.2 million in Public Assistance funding for COVID-19 response efforts in North Dakota.  Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be found at www.fema.gov/assistance/public [http://www.fema.gov/assistance/public]. # # # _FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters._ _Follow us on Twitter at __twitter.com/femaregion8_ [https://twitter.com/femaregion8].