Full Notification

FEMA News Release

FEMA Assistance Available for Eligible Disaster-damaged Wells and Septic Systems

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Residents who lost access to water through their private wells or had damage to their septic system caused by the severe winter storms may be eligible for financial assistance under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program.

The 14 counties designated for this assistance program are: Butte, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne.

Damage to wells and septic systems must have been caused by severe storms, straight- line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides between Feb. 21 and July 10, 2023.

For private wells and septic systems, FEMA may provide assistance or reimbursement for the cost of a professional, licensed technician’s estimate of the repair or replacement of these items.

You also may receive assistance for the actual repair or replacement cost of these items not typically covered by homeowner’s insurance.

If you have applied for FEMA assistance and have not had a home inspection, you should call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (Helpline operators are available from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PDT daily.) If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give the FEMA representative your number for that service. Press 2 for Spanish. Press 3 for an interpreter who speaks your language.

At the time of your inspection, let the FEMA inspector know you have a private well and/or septic system that may have been damaged by the storm.

If the damage is determined to be caused by the disaster, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance.

If you have already had an inspection and damage to the well or septic system wasn’t reported, contact the FEMA Helpline for instructions on how to amend your application.

For the latest information on California’s recovery from the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, visit FEMA.gov/disaster/4699. You may also follow twitter.com/Cal_OES,  facebook.com/CaliforniaOES, @FEMARegion9/Twitter and Facebook.com/FEMA.