Thompson Announces Approval of Individual and Public Assistance for Glass Fire

October 22, 2020
Press Release

Unlocks key assistance to help individuals and local governments recover from fire

Napa, CA – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Individual and Public Assistance disaster relief for Napa and Sonoma Counties impacted by the Glass Fire. A statement from Thompson is below.

"This fire season has hit our community hard and the Glass Fire was devastating for our district, forcing thousands to evacuate and destroying nearly a thousand homes and businesses. Today I am glad to announce that FEMA is providing Federal help in the form of Individual and Public Assistance, valuable tools to help our community rebuild. Know that I will continue to bring back every Federal dollar and resource to help our community rebuild from this and the LNU Lightning Complex fires."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved disaster funds for Napa and Sonoma Counties for Category B Public Assistance (PA) which provides assistance for "emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities". The federal government covers 75 percent of the costs, and the state and local governments split the remaining 25 percent. Rep. Thompson has authored legislation to raise the federal cost share to at least 90 percent, which recently passed the House as part of the updated Heroes Act.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also approved Individual Assistance Napa and Sonoma Counties which will be granted to individuals to help rebuild, repair and replace housing and assist with other disaster-related expenses. Individuals can register with FEMA the following ways:

  • Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov
  • Constituents may call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.

The Glass Fire began on September 27, 2020 and burned over 67,484 acres. Over 1,500 structures were destroyed and thousands were forced to evacuate.

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.