March 20, 2012By Jennifer Richardson
LANE COUNTY, Ore. — Governor Kitzhaber is appealing FEMA’s decision to deny Lane County individual damage assistance for flood victims.
FEMA has 30 days to respond to the governor’s request to reconsider assistance for those affected by the mid-January floods.
FEMA denied assistance based on a number of factors, including the number of homes that were damaged and the number of people displaced from their homes.
It also looks at people who already have insurance coverage because FEMA can’t duplicate that benefit.
FEMA says the impact of the homes did not meet the established criteria.
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management hopes the governor’s appeal paints a larger picture of the damage in the county.
“They took all of the information in the two preliminary damage assessments and they rewrote their assessment and they laid it out by why they think FEMA should approve this request,” said FEMA spokesperson Denise Everhart.
FEMA did approve public disaster assistance, which supplies aid for roads, bridges and infrastructure.
