Declaration Information
On April 18, 2022, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts received a Major Disaster Declaration (FEMA-4651-DR-MA) for Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk counties, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for the January 28-29, 2022 Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm. This Declaration has activated the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Public Assistance (PA) Program, including Snow Assistance for these counties, making federal funding available to local governments, state agencies, and eligible private non-profit organizations for eligible disaster-related costs such as emergency work and permanent repair and replacement of facilities damaged as a direct result of the storm, as well as Snow Assistance for a 48-hour period.
Applicant Briefings
The initial step in seeking funding associated with this Declaration is to participate in an Applicant Briefing, which provides details on eligible expenses and costs incurred as a result of the storm, as well as the reimbursement process for applying for and receiving federal funds under the PA Program. It is imperative that appropriate representatives from your community, including a representative for your fiscal department, attend an Applicant Briefing even if your community has been previously engaged in the PA Program for another disaster declaration as there have been several process, policy, and fiscal compliance changes to the FEMA PA Program that may directly affect your reimbursement.
Each community seeking reimbursement under the PA Program will be required to utilize the FEMA Grants Portal throughout the reimbursement process. The FEMA Grants Portal is the tool Applicants will use to upload their Request for Public Assistance (RPA) as well as all necessary project information and documentation for FEMA review. If you are a registered user in the system, you may log into your account now and submit an RPA for your organization. To register, or reset your password for a FEMA Grants Portal account, please contact disaster.recovery@mass.gov prior to your Applicant Briefing.
If you are aware of a private non-profit, regional school district, local public housing authority, special district, or public electric department in your community that suffered damage, please advise them of these briefings, as they too may be eligible to receive reimbursement for their expenses.
Virtual Applicant Briefing from May 5, 2022
Recording of the briefing: https://youtu.be/fmUyoqSnzZ4
Slides: DR-4651 Municipal Briefing Slide Deck
Should you have any questions regarding these briefings, please contact a member of the Disaster Recovery Unit at disaster.recovery@mass.gov.
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. To request an accommodation, please include a description of the accommodation you will need, including as much detail as you can provide. Please also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Send an e-mail to Sara Parmenter, ADA Coordinator at Sara.L.Parmenter@mass.gov or call 508-820-2060.
Private Non-Profit Information
Private non-profit organizations in the declared counties are encouraged to attend the applicant briefings. Depending on the types of services provided and costs incurred, private non-profits may be eligible for assistance under this PA program or under the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan Program.
For more information about PNP eligibility, see FEMA's Public Assistance: Policy and Guidance
PNP applicants must submit their RPA using the Grants Portal and are also required to upload the below PNP documents in the portal as part of their application.
Additional Resources
Snow Assistance
This disaster declaration does include Snow Assistance, as declared counties met their county and statewide cost thresholds and received near record or record snowfall. Reimbursement for Snow Assistance as part of a Disaster Declaration is limited to a continuous 48 hour period to address the most critical emergency snow removal needs. Eligible snow assistance costs include, but are not limited to, salting, sanding, de-icing, and plowing. Snow Assistance is considered a Category B, Emergency Protective Measure, under FEMA’s Public Assistance program in which each applicant designates the beginning of its 48-hour time period of snow removal costs to submit to FEMA for reimbursement.
Documents
Applicants that are submitting for reimbursement of eligible costs must complete the below Cover Letter and State Workbook to include with their reimbursement documents.