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2025 Winter Storms Public Assistance

DR-4881-OR Disaster Declaration


Declared: July 22, 2025 
Incident: Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
Incident Period: March 13, 2025 - March 20, 2025

DR4881 Designated Areas and Branches Map


Governor Kotek’s office announced that FEMA has made federal disaster assistance available to the state of Oregon to support recovery efforts following winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that struck Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties from March 13–20, 2025. (Amended August 28, 2025 to include Josephine County;Watch Applicant Briefing)  

The assistance includes Public Assistance funding on a cost-sharing basis for state, tribal, and eligible local governments, as well as certain private nonprofit organizations, to aid in emergency response and infrastructure recovery. 

Eligible applicants include local governments, tribal governments, special districts, state agencies, and certain private nonprofits (PNP) that have incurred cost for response activities and/or have sustained facility damage as a direct result of the event. 

PNPs are those entities that provide a governmental type of service, and have a 501(c), (d) or (e) tax exception status. PNP applicants should refer to FEMA Public Assistance Program and Guide, pages 47-59 regarding PNP eligible facilities and required documentation.

The Federal share of assistance is not less than 75% of the eligible cost for emergency measures and permanent restoration cost.

Please direct any questions to oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov


DR-4881-OR Applicant Briefing & Registration Walkthrough

An overview of the FEMA Public Assistance program and process for the DR-4881-OR Winter Storms Disaster Declaration.

DR-4881-OR Applicant Briefing

FEMA Grants Portal Walkthrough


Initial Important Dates


Virtual Applicant Briefing  
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) will host a virtual Applicant Briefing to explain the FEMA Public Assistance Program and its application process. The session will last approximately 60 minutes and include a walkthrough of the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) submission. This briefing is not required to apply for the grant, but attendance is strongly encouraged.

  • Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
  • Time: 2 PM
  • Where: Virtual Teams Meeting
    • Join the meeting now
    • Meeting ID: 233 403 219 336 6
    • Passcode: qc9DQ3Tb
    • Dial in by phone: 503-446-4951
    • Conference ID: 492 908 795#

Documents to Review:


Request for Public Assistance (RPA) 
To apply for assistance, potential applicants in the designated counties must complete a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in the FEMA Grants Portal by August 21, 2025. 

Damage Identification 
Applicants have 60 days from their Recovery Scoping Meeting (RSM) to identify and report damages.  Applicants may use the Damage Inventory Form to capture all disaster related damage claims. 



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FEMA Public Assistance (PA) reimburses eligible applicants (State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal governments, plus certain Private Non-Profits) for certain costs incurred due to natural and/or man-made disasters. ​


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FEMA Public Assistance reimburses eligible applicants for eligible work on a cost-share basis. The cost share for this disaster is 75% federal, 25% non-federal. Management costs (the cost of doing business with FEMA to prepare projects and receive reimbursement) are capped at 5% of an applicant’s total project award and are reimbursed at 100%..
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To apply for assistance, each potential applicant must complete a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in FEMA Grants Portal by August 21, 2025 to be considered for FEMA Public Assistance under DR-4881-OR – Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.

 

Applying for FEMA Public Assistance – Grants Portal

Eligible applicants include state, local governments, tribal governments, special districts, and certain private nonprofits (PNP) in designated areas and must apply directly in FEMA Grants Portal.

For new Applicants registering in Grants Portal:
  1. Send an email requesting the creation of an organization profile to: OEM.PA-RECOVERY@OEM.oregon.gov. Be sure to include the following information:

    • ​ Official Name of Organization
    • Name of Point of Contact (POC)
    • Email address for POC
    • Phone Number for POC
    • ​Active and registered UEI number from SAM.gov​ (if you do not have a UEI #, you can submit an RPA and register for one after)
    • Business Mailing Address
    • Physical Location (if different from business mailing address)

  2. OEM Recovery will review the request and reach out for more information if needed prior to creating the organization profile

  3. Organization Profile is created by OEM, an invitation email is sent by Grants Portal system to POC with a username and temporary password

  4. Once Applicant receives the invitation, they can log back into FEMA Grants Portal to submit a Request for FEMA Public Assistance (RPA) for DR4881

  5. ​There will be a banner at the top of the page after logging into Grants Portal with a link that will allow you to fill and submit an RPA​​


SAM.gov​​​ Registration

Registering with SAM.gov is required to start and apply for FEMA Public Assistance.

To register your organization, you must have:
  1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI-SAM)
  2. Active System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration

If your organization does not have a UEI-SAM number or active SAM registration, the following website provide information on creating or obtaining: https://sam.gov/content/home​


Already Registered in FEMA Grants Portal?

Applicants who are already registered in FEMA Grants Portal can submit an RPA for their organization directly by logging into https://grantee.fema.gov/  to complete the form through your organizational profile.

Unable to access FEMA Grants Portal to submit RPA or need assistance in creating Public Assistance Grants Portal user account? Please email: oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov for assistance if needed.

Note: A potential applicant did not have to participate in the Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) or Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) to be eligible to apply for assistance, nor is a potential applicant committed to receiving Federal assistance after submitting a Request for Public Assistance (RPA).

Deadline for Request for Public Assistance (RPA) submission is August 21, 2025​​

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Eligible costs for Public Assistance projects are in nine categories:

  • Category A: Debris Removal
  • Category B: Emergency Protective Measures
  • Category C: Roads and Bridges
  • Category D: Water Control Facilities
  • Category E: Buildings and Contents
  • Category F: Utilities
  • Category G: Parks, Recreation and Other
  • Category I: Building Code and Floodplain Management
  • Administration and Enforcement
  • Category Z: Management Costs​​

  • The cost must be incurred by an eligible applicant located in a declared area. The eligible applicant must have legal responsibility for the damaged facility.
  • The work must be performed within the prescribed time limits and fall within one of the categories of work as described by FEMA.
  • The costs must be sufficiently documented and submitted in a timely manner.​​​

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Eligible applicants include:

  • State agencies and other instrumentalities of state government
  • County governments
  • Local governments
  • Tribal governments
  • Private Non-Profits (PNPs)*

*Private non-profit applicants are subject to additional documentation and review. Eligible PNPs must be tax-exempt and provide a government-like service in order to apply for Public Assistance.​​

No. Public Assistance is available to public entities only, not individual households or businesses. FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) was denied for this disaster. The Small Business Administration (SBA)​ will make available low-interest loans to businesses and Private Non-Profit organizations with damages caused by this event. More information will follow. ​

No. Organizations must seek reimbursement from insurance for costs associated with damage to insured facilities. FEMA may reimburse for eligible costs not covered by insurance, as well as for out-of-pocket costs like deductibles. FEMA Public Assistance is the funder of last resort; all other funding sources must be exhausted prior to an applicant receiving reimbursement​.



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Flood insurance provides financial protection against damage caused by flooding, which is not typically covered under standard homeowners or renters' insurance policies. It’s a separate policy offered through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or private insurers, and it covers things like structural damage to your home and loss of personal belongings.  

Because flood risk varies by location, coverage and rates are based on your property's elevation, flood zone, and more. Many people only discover it's excluded after it's too late—so it's worth checking before the storm rolls in. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation has a good resource page to help the public navigate flood insurance.​ 

Exploratory Call

Once the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) is received, reviewed, and approved in FEMA Grants Portal, your organization will be assigned a FEMA and State Program Delivery Manager (PDMG) who will contact the Primary Contact/Applicant’s Agent listed on the RPA to arrange an Exploratory Call (this could take a couple weeks after RPA approval) as an induction call and to introduce the​ Public Assistance Delivery process. In preparing for discussions with FEMA and to assist in formulating your projects/damages attached is the OEM Damage Impact Inventory Form​. This is a tool to help applicants organize, prioritize, and assist FEMA and the State in the development of eligible projects.  It is recommended that each potential applicant utilize a damage inventory of their damages/costs to assist with identifying and prioritizing projects.​

Recovery Scoping Meeting (RSM) 

This at the first substantive meeting between the Applicant and FEMA which starts the 60-day regulatory timeframe for the Applicant to identity and report damages.  The RSM is built around the Damage Inventory and therefore, the applicant should have started a Damage Inventory for review during the RSM. ​​​​​​

Environmental Considerations

Other than FEMA Public Assistance program eligibility failure to comply with applicable federal, tribal, state, and local environmental and historical preservation laws could jeopardize or delay federal funding.  FEMA will provide a “Green sheet” that provides guidance on the FEMA environmental and historic preservation (EHP) process (OEM PA will distribute upon receipt).

FEMA Public Assistance: Contracting Requirements

Failure to follow federal contracting requirements when procuring and selecting contractors puts applicants at risk of not receiving full reimbursement for eligible disaster costs. Further information on FEMA Public Assistance Procurement rules - https://www.fema.gov/grants/procurement​​

Documents:

FEMA Public Assistance references and other important information:

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​​Please direct any questions regarding Public Assistance to oem.pa-recovery@oem.oregon.gov

​For more information about other types of assistance that may be available, please contact oem.recovery@oem.oregon.gov​​​​​​

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