SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Butte County has been added to California counties approved for assistance to individuals and households as part of the major disaster declaration approved Aug. 22 by President Trump.

The addition makes Butte County the ninth county to receive federal approval for individual assistance: Lake, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties were approved previously. 

FEMA’s individual assistance program provides grants to help eligible survivors with financial assistance that may include rent, home repair, home replacement and other disaster-related needs such as childcare, medical and dental expenses.

Apply for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency online at

www.disasterassistance.gov; by downloading the FEMA app to a smartphone or tablet; or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Pacific. 

U.S. Small Business Administration assistance

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has established a Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center to help homeowners and renters. Customer service representatives are available to assist business owners and individuals to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each person complete their electronic loan application.

Virtual Business Recovery Center and Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center

Mondays – Sundays
8 am to 8 pm EDT
[email protected]
800-659-2955

These services are only available for the California disaster declaration as a result of the wildfires that began Aug. 14, 2020, and not for COVID-19-related assistance.

All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, economic status, or retaliation. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, call 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585(TTY/TDD).

FEMA’s mission: Helping people before, during, and after disasters.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. 

For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. TTY users may also call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also email [email protected] or visit SBA at SBA.gov/disaster.