The deadline to apply for the government-run debris clearance program for the Eaton and Palisades fires has been extended by two weeks, and owners of some multiunit properties are now eligible, officials said Friday.
The deadline to submit a right-of-entry form and opt in to the U.S. Army Corps’ cleanup has been extended from March 31 to April 15.
At the request of local and state officials, eligibility for the Army Corps’ cleanup has been extended to most condo buildings and some other types of multifamily housing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Any residential property with at least one owner-occupied unit is now eligible for the federal cleanup, said Robert Fenton, FEMA’s Region 9 administrator, in a Friday letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services.
In order for duplexes, townhomes and condos to be considered, county officials must receive a right-of-entry form from every owner of a destroyed unit, as well as from the homeowners association, FEMA said.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Linsdey Horvath, whose Westside district includes Malibu and the Palisades, said in a statement that the county is continuing to advocate for the inclusion of nonprofits, churches, mobile home parks and commercial properties in the federal debris clearance program.
Buildings that are entirely rented out to tenants are generally not eligible for the federally funded debris cleanup program. FEMA said that apartment owners are expected to “use their insurance and hire a licensed contractor to conduct debris removal.”
Fenton told Newsom’s office Friday that apartment building owners can still apply for the Army Corps’ cleanup, but their eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Those property owners would need to include a justification for using federal funds on their cleanup, Fenton said. That could include the debris on the property posing an immediate threat to public health and safety, or the removal of the debris having an economic impact on the community.
Owners of apartment buildings can also seek disaster assistance from the Small Business Assn.
