Resource Update from the Ford Family Foundation

A number of resources were shared in the Wildfire Recovery Facebook group, but we know not everyone is on Facebook, so are sharing a digest here as well. Thanks for all you are doing.

Resources:

• Registration is open for those affected by wildfires in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties in Oregon. Apply by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or using the FEMA app.
  • Do not wait for a disaster recovery center or other fixed location to register for assistance.
  • Save your receipts and take photos before you begin the clean-up process. Documentation of losses will help FEMA process your claim.
  • Disaster assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster
• Low interest disaster loans from the US Small Business Assistance are available to homeowners, renters, and businesses in the eight declared counties in Oregon. Applicants can reach SBA by calling 800-659-2955 or visiting sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Trainings:

• The Oregon Office of Emergency Management and FEMA are sponsoring a series of Disaster Response, Recovery, and Long-Term Recovery Webinars for 2020 Oregon Wildfires. The webinars will provide an overview of disaster recovery resources that can support your neighbor’s recovery from the September 2020 wildfires. State Programs, FEMA Programs, and other Federal Partners will share information to help grow community’s Long-Term Recovery Group. Thanks to NAO for this information. https://nonprofitoregon.org/sites/default/files/uploads/file/FEMA-Trainings-Fall2020.pdf
• You can sign up for Understanding How Money Moves in Disasters, on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 from 10-11. It is a virtual session the Nonprofit Association of Oregon is  facilitating in partnership with their colleagues at the Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington with presenters Regine Webster, Vice President, and Kim Maphis Early, Senior Associate of Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The session is a great guide to understand how emergency management works and a look at the financial streams that undergird disaster recovery. They’ll be examining the many roles that government, philanthropy and nonprofits can play, particularly as an advocate for an equitable recovery, and share resources that can provide data and best practices to inform organizations working on the wildfire recovery. Don’t miss this session. Don’t miss this session!

Finally, the guide team who volunteered will meet on Sept 29 to see where this work goes next, and we will be back in touch afterwards with thoughts from that group. Until then, if you have a moment to fill out this short survey by Sept 27, it will help the team be better informed by community voice. We encourage you to fill this out, particularly if you weren’t there, or if you were there but have additional thoughts to share. Some early considerations for this effort have been around opportunities for more peer sharing and learning; connecting this group to trainings and other resources; and helping to ensure community voice is at decision-making tables.

Max Gimbel | Associate Director – Ford Institute

The Ford Family Foundation