FEMA Public Assistance

Overview

DEMHS thanks those who attended the Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) briefing and completed the IDA survey for the February 22, 2026, winter storm. Unfortunately, while two counties experiences record snowfall and successfully exceeded their individual county per-capita indicators, we ultimately did not meet the overall statewide financial threshold required for a federal disaster declaration. Because the statewide financial criterion was not met, we are unable to reimburse any expenses incurred as a result of this storm.

The FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Program provides federal support and assistance to governments and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations following a  federally declared disaster. The state distributes federal pass-through funding to the affected local and tribal governments so they can quickly respond to and recover from a major disaster situation. This funding may also be used for costs incurred by the state and its agencies resulting from a major disaster.

After a disaster the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) forms a declaration working group to determine if financial thresholds have been met to apply for federal disaster assistance. DEMHS collaborates with federal, state, regional and local partners to collect initial damage estimates to make this decision.

Public Assistance is a reimbursement program that reimburses state, local and tribal governments for eligible disaster related costs, which generally include:

• Eligible Debris Removal Costs
• Emergency Protective Measures
• Repair and replacement of public owned facilities destroyed or damaged by a disaster