Most Oregonians who applied for wildfire disaster aid were denied

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — More than 24,000 Oregonians applied for federal disaster assistance after the catastrophic 2020 wildfires and about 57% of them were denied.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that nearly 14,000 Oregonians have been denied aid, according to data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  

Oregon’s high rates of denial are on par with previous natural disasters. FEMA denied about 60% of Puerto Rican disaster assistance applicants after Hurricane Maria.

A study by Texas Hausers, a housing nonprofit, found that FEMA denied a quarter of disaster applicants after Hurricane Harvey hit there.

Following Oregon’s wildfires, FEMA issued press releases encouraging people to appeal. They said the appeals process could be as simple as correcting a typo or providing a missing document.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-hurricane-harvey-oregon-natural-disasters-fires-23a475a06a12fd1e19488e22f66d4d63