Most Oregonians Applying for Disaster Aid After 2020 Wildfires Denied February 16, 2021
More than 24,000 Oregonians applied for federal disaster assistance after the catastrophic 2020 wildfires and about 57% of them were denied.
Jefferson Public Radio reports that nearly 14,000 Oregonians have been denied aid, according to data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Oregon’s high rates of denial are on par with previous natural disasters. FEMA denied about 60% of Puerto Rican disaster assistance applicants after Hurricane Maria. A study by Texas Hausers, a housing nonprofit, found that FEMA denied a quarter of disaster applicants after Hurricane Harvey hit there.
Many of the people who have been denied assistance are low-income. Among Hurricane Harvey applicants, people whose annual incomes were below $15,000 had a 46% denial rate. People with annual incomes exceeding $70,000 had a 10% denial rate.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) More than 24,000 Oregonians applied for federal disaster assistance after the catastrophic 2020 wildfires and about 57% of them were denied. Jefferson Public Radio reports.
Most Oregonians who applied for FEMA wildfire aid denied
Associated Press
SALEM More than 24,000 Oregonians applied for federal disaster assistance after the catastrophic 2020 wildfires and about 57% of them were denied.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that nearly 14,000 Oregonians have been denied aid, according to data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Oregon’s high rates of denial are on par with previous natural disasters. FEMA denied about 60% of Puerto Rican disaster assistance applicants after Hurricane Maria. A study by Texas Hausers, a housing nonprofit, found that FEMA denied a quarter of disaster applicants after Hurricane Harvey hit there.
Many of the people who have been denied assistance are low-income. Among Hurricane Harvey applicants, people whose annual incomes were below $15,000 had a 46% denial rate. People with annual incomes exceeding $70,000 had a 10% denial rate.
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The 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed thousands of mobile homes in Jackson County, including the Royal Oaks Mobile Manor in Phoenix, Oregon.
More than 24,000 Oregonians applied for federal disaster assistance after the catastrophic 2020 wildfires. About 57% of them were denied.
Maria Meunier has lived in Medford for almost a decade. She owned a manufactured home at the Medford Estates what was once a gated, manicured mobile home park with cleanly paved streets, sturdy homes and bright green lawns until Sept. 8th. That s when the Almeda Fire raged through Jackson County, destroying 2,500 homes within hours.
Five months after the fire, the crumpled remains of Meunier’s house overlooks an expanse of ashes and twisted metal. She and her adult son, who has disabilities, are living at a friend’s house as they search for housing amid a tight market and a severe shortage of affordable homes.