Anonymous
By Santa Barbara County
On January 17, 2023 the Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California (FEMA-4683-DR) for severe winter storms was amended to include Santa Barbara County for individual assistance, debris removal, and emergency protective measures. Residents of Santa Barbara County will now be eligible to apply for Federal financial assistance and public agencies will be eligible to seek reimbursement for the removal of debris. Public agencies had previously been eligible for reimbursement for costs associated with emergency protective measures.
“We are grateful for the assistance this will offer for our community members of Santa Barbara County,” said Kelly Hubbard, Manager for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, “This begins a critical step forward for those who have endured loss from the January 2023 storm.”
Residents who incurred financial losses due to storm damage are encouraged to apply for assistance as soon as possible online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1(800) 621-3362. An application for assistance can also be made by downloading the FEMA app in the Apple and Google store. This allows documents to be uploaded to FEMA directly and track the status of applications.
If you are not able to live in your home at this time due to storm impact causing water damage, mold, mud or inability to access your home, please make sure you include this in your application.
The City of Santa Barbara has a resource page at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/StormRecovery.
The County of Santa Barbara has created a one-stop shop for recovery assistance at ReadySBC.org in both English and Spanish. As information and additional resources becomes available it will be posted here.
If you are unable to navigate the website, the Call Center can provide you with the information posted. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (833) 688-5551.
