Federal aid on way for Napa quake victims(w/video)

In what a federal official Tuesday termed a “close call,” potentially millions of dollars in federal disaster assistance is being made available to individuals who were affected by August’s earthquake near Napa.

The announcement, made late Monday night, ends weeks of uncertainty over whether people could apply for the direct financial assistance, which covers everything from home repairs to medical expenses.

The decision apparently could have gone either way.

“It’s plain to me that the granting of (individual assistance) in this event was a close call,” said Kurt Pickering, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will administer the aid.

Annabelle Montecino of American Canyon on Tuesday expressed relief over the government’s action. She’s been on tenterhooks for weeks wondering how she and her husband are going to pay for repairs on their earthquake-damaged home, including an estimated $33,000 worth of damage to the cracked foundation.

She said the couple has earthquake insurance on the West Carolyn Drive house built in 1959, but that the deductible of $51,000 is more than what the damages so far total. The homemaker on Tuesday said she had already filled out the online application for the financial aid, which potentially could cover all or part of the cost for repairs to the damaged foundation.

“I would love to have my security again,” she said. “I constantly feel the settling of the house.”

Napa Mayor Jill Techel also was pleased by the arrival of additional federal aid for residents in her city.

“It’s a great day for us,” she said. “We’re well on the way to recovery. This piece will help us get there quicker.”

The magnitude-6.0 temblor struck in the early morning hours of Aug. 24 and killed one person, injured about 200 others and caused about $360 million in property damage throughout the region.

President Barack Obama’s original disaster declaration on Sept. 11 freed up federal funds for local governments to repair quake-damaged facilities, but a separate act was required to provide relief aid to individuals.

The state Office of Emergency Services initially requested financial aid for individuals on Sept. 2 when damages not covered by insurance or by other means were estimated at $87 million, according to Kelly Huston, a spokesman for the agency.

He said FEMA requested more documentation and also dispatched personnel to tour quake damage along with state and local officials. State OES now estimates uninsured liabilities from the quake to be about $200 million.

Huston said state officials thought residents should have been eligible for aid more than a month ago.

He called the decision to provide the additional federal aid “the right thing to do.”

Pickering, with FEMA, defended the agency’s pace, saying it took time to assess damage from the quake.

“You might fly over a tornado field and know it’s a disaster,” he said. “If it’s not obvious, you have to take a closer look and document things. That takes time.”

He said FEMA’s criteria for determining whether to provide individual assistance included the estimated amount of damage from the quake and the availability of local, state and nonprofit agencies to assist with recovery efforts.

“When everything else is exhausted, FEMA tries to assist with the gaps,” he said.

In the hardest-hit city of Napa, 163 structures remain red-tagged, meaning they’ve been deemed unsafe to occupy. Another 1,749 structures have yellow tags, which allows entry, but with restrictions.

Politics almost certainly played a role. Mayor Techel credited North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, as well as Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, for pushing for the federal assistance after they toured the quake-damaged region.

“The approval of this much-needed assistance is an important step in our region’s recovery, and it will finally allow us to start helping folks get back on their feet,” Thompson said in a statement Tuesday.

Residents in Napa and Solano counties are eligible to receive the FEMA aid, which comes in the form of direct financial assistance and not loans, according to Pickering. He said the amount per individual caps at $33,000.

He said “it shouldn’t take very long” for the aid to start flowing now that the amendment to the disaster declaration has been made.

Homeowners are supposed to use the money to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to repair the structure so that it provides safe and sanitary living conditions, and not to remodel or make homes exactly as they were prior to the quake.

“Our goal is to get you through the short-term event, not put it back the way it was,” Pickering said.

He said people should apply for the assistance even if they’ve yet to settle with their insurance companies.

The new federal aid declaration also triggers the Small Business Administration’s program offering low-interest loans for earthquake-damaged repairs.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Businesses of any size and private nonprofit organizations also may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.

Napa attorney John Poole is hoping to get one of the loans for repairs on a licensed vacation rental he owns on First Street, adjacent to his private residence. He estimates the work on the rental, which was built in 1892, will run upward of $150,000.

“The thing that’s been haunting me is that I can’t even get the thing in the process,” he said. “It’s like being in steerage on the Titanic and not being able to get to the top deck.”

Now, he feels like he has access to a life raft.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to get some help,” he said.

For FEMA assistance, call (800) 621-3362 or go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

The Small Business Administration can be reached at (800) 659-2955.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@press?democrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.