Received 9/29/05 6:52PM from Steve Shulman, American Association of State and Local History (AASLH), Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Project Director. His original message was modified from html to plain text. ======================================================================== Friends: Please pass this along to any nonprofit organization that may have been affected by Hurricane Katrina: As of noon today, Thursday, September 29, 2005, the deadline for submitting a Request for Public Assistance to FEMA is tomorrow. Though there is a lot to read and review, the most important thing for affected organizations to do is to submit an RPA form (see below in BOLD [hyperlinks] or download the attached file) before the deadline. Please encourage all nonprofit organizations to submit the form so that they can obtain an ID number. They can amend their request and provide the additional materials later, or they can choose not to follow through with their request once they receive their ID number. The important thing to remember is that once they have an ID number, they have more options. FEMA and the State use the information submitted on the RPA to determine if an applicant is eligible for public assistance. The RPA, which includes instructions for completion, must be submitted to the State Public Assistance Officer within 30 days of the date of declaration or designation of an area. The form may be submitted at the applicant's briefing, by mail, by fax, or electronically. Once submitted, the RPA becomes part of a case management file. The completed form can be submitted to the state FEMA Joint Field Office in which the organization is located. They are: Alabama FEMA Joint Field Office Ron Sherman 1555 Eastern Blvd. Montgomery, AL 36117 334-270-7700 Louisiana FEMA Joint Field Office William Lokey 1500 Main St Baton Rouge, LA 70802 225-242-6000 Mississippi FEMA Joint Field Office William Carwile 1410 Riverside Dr. Jackson, MS 39202 703-669-7413 Here's what FEMA says: FEMA is covering 100% of the cost of debris removal [Category A] and emergency measures [Category B], including rental and purchase of equipment, work performed on contract, work performed on an hourly basis, and stabilization of collections. You must document all your expenses for these reimbursements, maintain accurate records and photograph the damage [e.g., flooded basements, etc.]. Familiarize yourselves with two policies related to Public Assistance titled Private Nonprofit Museum Eligibility (see http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/9521_2.shtm) and Collections and Individual Objects Policy (see http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/9524_6.shtm). We want to emphasize the criticality of any facility being eligible for FEMA assistance. For example, if it's a cultural institution not open to the general public, we won't be able to provide any assistance. Then, download, fill out and send the Request for Public Assistance Form (see http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/appfrm1.shtm or attached PDF http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/rpa.pdf ) along with any required attachments [tax exempt certificate, organization charter or bylaws], as stated at the bottom of the form. And if you're a nonprofit, also send a copy of the PNP Facility Questionnaire http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/appfrm1.shtm. We recommend that you refer to FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation Web site http://www.fema.gov/ehp/compliance.shtm where you can download the Public Assistance Policy Digest http://www.fema.gov/rrr/pa/pdigest.shtm, especially since it also addresses eligibility issues. It is our intention to provide assistance at the earliest possible time, but you should proceed with these measures to protect and stabilize your collections and structures as soon as possible. Alan Z Aiches Historic Preservation Specialist Museums and Library Collections Liaison Federal Emergency Management Agency Joint Field Office - 1603-DR-LA 1500 Main Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 alan.aiches[at]dhs[dot]gov** Steve Shulman American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) Hurricane Katrina Recovery Project Director
Attachment:
FEMAs RPA.PDF
Description: Adobe PDF document