NEW LETTER: Harder Pushes FEMA for Faster Action, Higher Acceptance Rate on Disaster Assistance
Only 33% of applications for FEMA assistance have been accepted following the recent storms and flooding
According to one resident, “I first had to apply to FEMA, then I was referred to the Small Business Administration (SBA) only to get denied and sent back to FEMA”
Rep. Harder held his second Water Town hall of the year yesterday in Lodi where he heard from multiple San Joaquin County residents still struggling with severe flooding
WASHINGTON – In a new letter sent out today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to act faster to help San Joaquin County residents who are still struggling to get the assistance they need following the devastating flooding last month. San Joaquin County was initially left of off the Emergency Disaster Declaration before Rep. Harder pushed for FEMA assistance.
Last night in Lodi, Rep. Harder hosted his second Water Town Hall of the year where he heard from local residents about ongoing flooding issues. One Tracy resident said his property has flooded five times in two weeks, and another told the Congressman a foot and a half of water has come through his property already this year.
“If your living room is filled with floodwater, you should be able to depend on the federal government to provide the assistance you need,” said Rep. Harder. “Instead, many residents of Acampo and surrounding areas are still fighting to get the support they need from FEMA as they try to rebuild and move forward. FEMA needs to move faster to get us the support we deserve.”
Congressman Harder’s letter is available HERE and below.
February 22, 2023
Dear Administrators Criswell and Fenton,
I am writing today to thank you for your quick response to the flooding in San Joaquin County. The Federal Emergency Declaration as well as the Major Disaster Declaration during the recent California Severe Winter Storms Disaster (DR-4683-CA) lessened the burden on my constituents as their lives were turned upside down. In addition, I applaud FEMA’s decision to continue to operate Stockton’s Disaster Recovery Center until all San Joaquin families receive their disaster relief. As a result of FEMA’s support and partnership with San Joaquin County, our community is beginning to recover from the disastrous floods.
I also want to share some feedback from my constituents in order to improve your future disaster responses. First, the lengthy disaster aid application process is burdensome on constituents whose lives have been uprooted by flooding. In times of disaster where homes are sinking and uninhabitable, applications should be expedited and completed as soon as possible. Numerous San Joaquin families have stated how challenging it is to rebuild their lives while they wait weeks for assistance.
My constituents have also expressed frustration with FEMA’s sequence of disaster aid delivery. As one of my constituents put it, “I first had to apply to FEMA, then I was referred to the Small Business Administration (SBA) only to get denied and sent back to FEMA.” In a time of crisis, our application processes should be streamlined in order to avoid delays. The sequence of delivery would better serve San Joaquin residents if all FEMA relief options were exhausted prior to referring constituents to the SBA.
Finally, FEMA’s rental assistance program has been helpful to many families who need a place to stay because their homes are damaged. Yet, this only addresses part of the problem. In tandem with rental assistance, residents should also be able to receive FEMA’s home repair funding to rebuild their homes while they are temporarily relocated.
Surviving a natural disaster is one of the most difficult experiences our community has faced. Fixing the disaster aid process will increase the current 33% application acceptance rate ensuring every resident impacted by the storms gets the assistance they deserve.
Again, thank you for your continued support during and after the severe flooding in California’s 9th congressional district. Your work has made a substantial difference in allowing my community to recover from this disaster. I appreciate your consideration of these concerns and I look forward to working together to address these issues with the disaster aid process.
Sincerely,
Josh Harder
Member of Congress
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