Speaker 1: Let's say good morning now to Latanga Hopes, the media
Speaker 1: relations specialist and Disaster Operations Division leader for FEMA.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Latanga.
Speaker 3: Good morning.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for coming on today.
Speaker 1: We wanted to have you on because we know that
Speaker 1: FEMA is helping so many people in southern California whose
Speaker 1: homes were either lost or damaged by the fires, and
Speaker 1: there are some important deadlines approaching. So first of all,
Speaker 1: let's talk about who can apply for this assistance in
Speaker 1: case somebody might be listening and they didn't realize that
Speaker 1: they still qualify.
Speaker 3: Alrighty, let's start with homeowners. Those are people with and
Speaker 3: without insurance, renters, and even independent students. And I'd also
Speaker 3: like to add an asterisk if your home is still
Speaker 3: standing and it did not burn to the ground, if
Speaker 3: you live within La County and was mpacted by the fire,
Speaker 3: you too should also apply.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, we have somebody who works here, Tuala. He
Speaker 1: works in the evenings with mo Kelly is. He home
Speaker 1: made it through the fires, but it's uninhabitable because there
Speaker 1: was so much damage from all the smoke.
Speaker 3: And what we're finding is that there's been some people
Speaker 3: that have self excluded themselves and interpreted our outreach to
Speaker 3: me that if your house burned down, that you should apply.
Speaker 3: Anybody that was impacted by this fire, under any circumstances
Speaker 3: should apply.
Speaker 1: Okay, good. Good to know, Latanga. And what kind of
Speaker 1: assistance does FEMA offer? Is it just money or is
Speaker 1: that other physical assistance as well?
Speaker 3: Now we have an array of types of assistance that
Speaker 3: we can help with. We provide a cash grant. This
Speaker 3: is money that does not need to be repeid. That's
Speaker 3: the first thing that you need to know, and neither
Speaker 3: do you need to report it to your taxes. Now,
Speaker 3: after we get past that part, you simply need to
Speaker 3: submit your application and explain your story. That's the thing
Speaker 3: that you want to do. Of course, we talk about
Speaker 3: repairing and rebuilding your home. We may help with transportation, storage,
Speaker 3: Believe it or not. Childcare may even be an issue,
Speaker 3: and if I understand, in the Altadena community, many of
Speaker 3: the child care facilities burned. So those are things that
Speaker 3: you may want to discuss. And there are other categories
Speaker 3: as well that may be useful. Consider this. We can
Speaker 3: help people that may be self employed. That's important if
Speaker 3: you are unable to return to work there's a disaster
Speaker 3: unemployment insurance assistance that could be made available to you
Speaker 3: as well.
Speaker 2: Okay, so so many options.
Speaker 1: So when you go and you apply for it, just
Speaker 1: make sure you tell them everything that's going on. We've
Speaker 1: talked so many times about how far reaching the devastation
Speaker 1: is that it affects. You know, right after the fires,
Speaker 1: people didn't know where to find a toothbrush, you know,
Speaker 1: but I mean every aspect of your life, and that's
Speaker 1: where FEMA can can come in and hopefully help you.
Speaker 3: There.
Speaker 2: Yeah, where do people apply? Latanga?
Speaker 3: Now? There are four options and the reason why this
Speaker 3: is important we have a deadline. So thank you for
Speaker 3: giving us this opportunity to share the information. You can
Speaker 3: apply simply by going using your phone and going to
Speaker 3: one eight hundred six two one three three six' two
Speaker 3: call that number and apply using that. Number you can
Speaker 3: also go online To Disaster assistance dot gov and go,
Speaker 3: there complete tr application. Online there's A fema. App and then,
Speaker 3: finally we have two different disaster recovery centers that are
Speaker 3: currently open and. Operating we call them one stop shops
Speaker 3: because not only can you be facilitated and receive resources
Speaker 3: from the federal, government state, government is there county and.
Speaker 3: City everybody has culminated together to make sure that any
Speaker 3: resource that you may need can be provided in this one.
Speaker 3: Place and don't forget we also have debris removal and
Speaker 3: this is at no, cost and that could be a
Speaker 3: tedious and just overcoming. Process the federal government is providing
Speaker 3: those resources at no cost to the. HOMEOWNERS i love.
Speaker 1: That, Okay and we're going to put this information on
Speaker 1: our wake Up call page on the website. Too so
Speaker 1: if you missed With lotanga the numbers and that kind of,
Speaker 1: stuff you can go and check out on the Wake
Speaker 1: Up call. Page. Okay so go over some of the deadlines,
Speaker 1: again because there's a couple of them coming. Up we
Speaker 1: want to make sure people don't miss them.
Speaker 3: Already, Again let's start with A fema. One that one
Speaker 3: is going to be On march, tenth and that's going
Speaker 3: to be at eleven fifty nine. Pm you've got up
Speaker 3: until that, time so consider using any of those resources
Speaker 3: that we talked about along with. That The Disaster unemployment
Speaker 3: assistance will also end on that. Date The Small Business,
Speaker 3: administration that's a team where most people think that when
Speaker 3: they come in that they can only sist assists with,
Speaker 3: businesses but The Small Business Administration team can help homeowners as.
Speaker 3: Well they have really low cost interest, rates very, competitive
Speaker 3: and they have an extenuated repayment plan that can go
Speaker 3: out to at least thirty. Years now those are the
Speaker 3: deadlines that will end On march. Tenth please learn more
Speaker 3: about these programs and. Apply, okay the only thing it's
Speaker 3: going to cost you a.
Speaker 1: TIME a little bit of time is going to help
Speaker 1: out a lot because as we, know a lot of
Speaker 1: people still need a lot of. Help So Disaster assistance
Speaker 1: dot gov or THE fema app and again we'll put
Speaker 1: this up on the Wake Up call.
Speaker 2: Page but go get the, information make sure you.
Speaker 1: Apply and if maybe you know somebody who might, think
Speaker 1: OH i don't know IF i qualify for, assistance give
Speaker 1: them a little nudge because they're here to.
Speaker 2: Help latanga hopes you.
Speaker 1: Think thank you so much for your time and the
Speaker 1: information so important that we're getting that out because so
Speaker 1: many people were, affected we appreciated a.
Speaker 3: Ton thank you very much for giving us this. Opportunity
Speaker 3: how can we game all?
Speaker 2: Right thank? You letanga