FEMA announces Immediate Need Funding as Disaster Relief Funds dwindle for Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The County of Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday that until FEMA is able to adequately compensate to the county's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), they will be providing assistance through Immediate Needs Funding (INF) for disasters costing over $28 billion in the county from 2017 through the present.

"We understand that in practice, [FEMA's INF funding] is holding DRF funds effectively as contingency funds for future hurricane or other disaster response and not obligating funds for past claims until the DRF is sufficiently funded," wrote the Board of Supervisors in an agenda discussion document talking about the back-log of disaster relief funding needed from 2017, 2020 and 2022-2024 still.

"Given the continued and unprecedented impacts from climate change, potential for a historic hurricane season and growing severity of fire season, it is imperative that Congress takes swift action to replenish the DRF," continued the Board.

The Board's ask is for the Chair to send a letter to the federal delegation on behalf of Santa Cruz County that Congress take "immediate action" in requiring FEMA to restore the DRF.

The financial impact, according to the Board of Supervisors, "could impact some of our debt issuance forecasting models, particularly assumptions related to making principal payments once FEMA reimbursements are received for the 2020 CZU Complex Lightening fires and 2022/2023 winter storms."