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<br />LESSONS of RECOVERY - A REViEW of ThE 1997 COlORAdo Flood DisASTER <br /> <br />returns for the year of the loss or by amendment to the previous year's return. A guide on tax relief for disaster <br />casualty losses is also available from the IRS, <br /> <br />Flood Insurance Information <br /> <br />The National Flood Insurance Program Claims Office can be contacted for advice to people in a disaster <br />area concerning insurance requirements, claims and problems with policies. <br /> <br />Veterans Assistance <br /> <br />The state office of the Department of Veterans Affairs' is available to offer guidance to disaster victims in <br />obtaining death benefits, pensions, insurance settlements and adjustments to home mortgages for veterans. <br /> <br />Public Assistance Programs <br /> <br />FEMA Public Assistance Program <br /> <br /> <br />Whereas Individual Assistance programs provide direct assistance to the people adversely affected <br />from a disaster, FEMA's Public Assistance program helps disaster victims to recover by assisting local <br />and state governments with the reconstruction of community infrastructure. Public Assistance grants <br />are designed to support local efforts to repair infrastructure, restore public services, and to fund cost-effective <br />mitigation measures. Eligible applicants include local governments (counties, cities, towns, special districts and <br />other eligible political subdivisions), state governments, Indian tribes, and certain nonprofit organizations. <br /> <br />Public Assistance grants are provided on a cost-share basis: 75 percent federal and 25 percent non-federal. <br />The FEMA-State agreement for the 1997 declaration sets forth the following cost-share arrangement: 75 <br />percent federal, 12.5 percent state and 12.5 percent local. Eligible work is classified as either emergency work <br />or permanent work. Emergency work includes the immediate efforts undertaken by local governments and <br />emergency response agencies to save lives, protect health and safety, and to limit property damage as a result <br />of the disaster. Permanent work involves the repair or replacement of damaged structures, such as roads, <br />bridges, public buildings, utilities, water-control facilities, and parks and recreational facilities. <br /> <br />To apply for Public Assistance grants, potential applicants in the declared disaster area are invited to an <br />applicants briefing, where FEMA officials explain various aspects of the program, including eligibility <br />requirements. Within 30 days of the disaster declaration, applicants can submit a Notice of Interest form, <br />indicating emergency needs and the types of repair work which may be eligible for assistance. Inspections of <br />damage sites by state and federal officials can then be scheduled, with participation by local officials familiar <br />with all damage locations, <br /> <br />The inspection teams identify the eligible scope of work and cost estimates using a Damage Survey Report <br />(DSR) for each job site. The estimate of work at a specific damage site must exceed $1,000 for the project to <br />be eligible. DSRs are classified as small projects or large projects, depending on the threshold amount in effect <br />at the time of declaration. <br /> <br />COlORAdo OffiCE of EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />31 <br />