The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has requested that joint state and FEMA Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) for Public Assistance (PA) be completed to evaluate damages related to Tropical Storm Ida that occurred in Pennsylvania.
The joint PA assessments began Tuesday, Sept. 14, in Chester and Delaware counties. They will take place over the next several days in Bedford, Bucks, Cambria, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Fulton, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and York counties.
In addition, joint PDAs for Individual Assistance (IA) will take place Wednesday in Northampton County and Thursday in Luzerne County.
These joint assessments will be done in person, with close cooperation among state, local and federal agencies as always.
These damage assessments are the first step in helping the governor determine whether the scope of the damages is beyond what the state is capable of handling and if additional federal assistance is needed.
Additional assessments may be requested in other counties as damage information is received from local officials.
The PDA is an information-gathering process. It does not guarantee federal assistance.
Once the information is gathered, the state uses it to determine whether to make an official request for federal assistance.
For your information, please find attached a comprehensive Stafford Act Declaration Process Fact Sheet.
Currently, Individual Assistance for individuals and households needing emergency work and repair or replacement of homes damaged by Ida’s remnants is available to qualified residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York Counties.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 TTY for the hearing and speech impaired. Operators can also answer questions about applications already submitted. FEMA has Disaster Survivor Assistance teams deployed to those communities supporting residents with hands-on assistance in registering.
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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. FEMA Region 3’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.