Please note the meetings below. We don’t yet know which nonprofits will be eligible for FEMA assistance, so it’s best to get the information and to fill out the Request for Public Assistance.

Public assistance (Infrastructure Support Program) for Hurricane Sandy-related activities is available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for qualifying nonprofit entities, including hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, day care centers, and senior centers located in the following counties: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester. Information related to applying for FEMA assistance, including an Applicant Handbook and Request for Public Assistance (RPA) forms, is available on the New York State Office of Emergency Management (NYS OEM) Web site at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/recovery/. The FEMA Public Assistance program provides supplemental reimbursement (after insurance is deducted) for the repair and restoration of infrastructure and facilities to pre-disaster condition.  The program is focused on organizations that have sustained extensive disaster losses.

Important:  FEMA determines whether a Private Non-Profit (PNP) is eligible.  This is an evolving process, and categories of eligibility may change as the specifics of Hurricane Sandy’s impact become clearer.  We strongly encourage you to attend an Applicant Briefing regardless of whether or not your organization type is listed as eligible in FEMA guidelines.

Applicants should attend a kickoff meeting in the county in which their facility is located. The kick-off meeting will provide an overview of the application process and review the necessary documentation needed to apply for FEMA assistance. The scheduled dates and times are provided below by county. Meetings are expected to last approximately two hours.

Application Eligibility, Requirements and Process

The following facilities are generally eligible for assistance:  educational, utilities, irrigation, emergency, medical, and custodial care facilities and facilities that provide essential government services.  Those that provide “other essential government services”, must be open to the general  public include, irrigation facilities, museums, zoos, community centers, libraries, homeless  shelters, senior citizens centers, shelter workshops, and health and safety services of a  governmental nature.

Applicants must complete a Request for Assistance (RPA) within 30 days of the declared event. In this case, that is by November 29^th, 2012. After an entity submits a completed set of documents, institutions will be contacted to schedule a kickoff meeting, which is the initial meeting between FEMA, the State, and the applicant to discuss eligible projects for public assistance. FEMA will be represented by a Public Assistance Coordinator (PAC) and NYS OEM will be represented by a Public Assistance Liaison. This team will assist the institution in completing any necessary Project Worksheets and facilitate the public assistance process. These worksheets will be due 60 days after submission of the RPA. Please note that FEMA does not cover expenses otherwise covered by insurance policies or payers.

Private Not for Profit (PNPs) Institutions must also include:

1. State Tax Exempt Form
2. PNP Questionnaire
3. Official E-mail Address
4. Back-up information (Organization Charter or By-Laws, Descriptive Publications, Description of membership policies or fee structures)

More information about the remainder of the process, descriptions of eligible work, and the required documents can be found on OEM’s website at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/recovery/

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