Federal aid wraps up for earthquake recovery
Raphael Kluzniok/Register
Janna Waldinger poses for a portrait next to empty window frames and a wall missing most of its plaster in the living room of her historic home in Napa, Wednesday, Dec. 24 2014.
Janna Waldinger is among the South Napa earthquake victims who have received a total of $30 million in federal aid, and she'll use her share to preserve a piece of Napa's history.
She's trying to repair an 1880s-era downtown Napa home left in shambles by the Aug. 24 earthquake. Plywood keeps the sun from shining through a hole in the wall where a chimney fell. Wooden lathes are visible on interior walls throughout the house where plaster crumbled.
Waldinger sees more than her own comfort at stake in her repair efforts.
"I'm a custodian of a historical treasure," Waldinger said.
Others who want federal aid to cover earthquake property damage must register by the 8 p.m. Monday deadline to be eligible. Another phase of Napa County's efforts to recover from the magnitude 6.0 earthquake is about to end.
Waldinger moved into her Division Street house 20 years ago to have a family and run her Art & Clarity photography business. The house, a mixture of Italianate and Queen Anne architecture, has a story behind it.
George Goodman, who opened the first Napa bank, built it in about 1880 as a wedding gift for his son, Harvey. The house was one of eight in Napa with an electrical-gas lighting system. Ben Corlett, the son of state Sen. Robert Corlett, bought the house in about 1900. In 1982, the house began a stint as a bed-and-breakfast, according to Napa County Landmarks.
On Aug. 24, a new and darker chapter in the house's history began. Waldinger woke up screaming as curved windows blew out on the second story of the house's turret and objects went flying. The South Napa earthquake had struck.
"My first thought was, 'This is the earthquake they've been talking about,'" Waldinger said. "My second thought was 'Stop!' And my third thought was, 'Oh, no, my house is trashed.' "
Like so many other Napa residents, her life had dramatically changed in a matter of about 20 seconds. Her house was yellow-tagged for limited use and she needed help making repairs. For two months, the federal government declined to offer financial aid to residents.
On Oct. 2., Mayor Jill Techel, Rep. Mike Thompson, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials toured her broken house. Waldinger said she is grateful they came so she could help make the case for federal aid being made available to earthquake victims.
"It was my emotional plea," said Waldinger, who sit on the Napa County Board of Education.
On Oct. 28, the Obama administration announced that federal earthquake aid would be available to residents and businesses. Waldinger joined the droves going to the Local Assistance Center to speak with officials from FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration and to register for financial assistance.
FEMA offers residents grants of up to $32,900. The SBA offers loans of up to $200,000 for house repairs and loans of up to $40,000 to replace personal property, with interest rates as low as 2.063 percent. It offers loans of up to $2 million to businesses with interest rates as low as 4 percent.
Waldinger praised the Local Assistance Center for bringing the quality of humanity to the registration process. She appreciated being able to talk to officials face-to-face at a time when her brain felt scrambled because there was so much to do, she said.
She received a FEMA grant of more than $28,000 and is working on securing an SBA loan. The federal aid is enough to take care of such earthquake damage repairs as fixing walls.
But Waldinger also faces choices that would take her beyond the federal aid limits. For example, her house sits unattached to a brick foundation and is at risk for even worse damage from future earthquakes. She must decide whether to have the house jacked up and secured to a new foundation.
Meanwhile, the Local Assistance Center that Waldinger and others have praised is in its twilight with the 8 p.m. Monday deadline fast approaching.
Jim Cronin went to the center on Tuesday seeking financial help to repair a leak at his rental fourplex on West Imola Avenue. He had a reason for waiting to near the end of the registration period.
"Until the rains came, we didn't know there was anything wrong with the roof," he said.
Fixing the roof leak might cost around $1,000, he said. But he's not certain of the extent of water damage to insulation and sheet rock.
He didn't know as he left the Local Assistance Center if he would receive any federal money. But officials at the center told him about the possibility of a tax casualty deduction, he said.
The Local Assistance Center has from the start been a temporary operation existing only because of the South Napa earthquake. It is inside the vacant building that formerly housed Vallerga's market and later JV Wine & Spirits. People sit in card table chairs at fold-out tables.
Kim Payne is the assistant operations chief at the center. She expressed concern people might show up on Tuesday to seek property damage financial aid, only to be turned away because the registration deadline has passed.
"I should hope not," she said, stressing that even if people are uncertain whether they want aid, they should register by the 8 p.m. Monday deadline to keep the option open.
To register, people can go to the Local Assistance Center at 301 First St., log on to disasterassistance.gov, screentap m.fema.gov on a smartphone or tablet or call 800-621-3362.
But the doors at the building won't close when the deadline passes. On Tuesday, the Local Assistance Center will become the SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center. People can still go there to finish up their SBA loan work.
Businesses will be a focus at the revamped center, officials said. Owners have through July 27 to file for economic injury disaster loans to help meet working capital needs resulting from the earthquake. They need not have suffered any property damage to apply.
Also, the Napa-Sonoma Small Business Development Center will provide free counseling to business owners. Director Mary Cervantes in a press release encouraged every business owner affected by the earthquake to come and meet one-on-one with the center's experts.
Through Dec. 17, FEMA had approved $8.8 million in grants and the SBA had approved $21.2 million in low-interest disaster loans for South Napa earthquake victims. FEMA had registered 5,296 households and the SBA had approved 549 loans, of which 504 were for homes and 45 for businesses, a FEMA press release said.
Federal aid registration may be winding down, but not Napa's earthquake recovery efforts. Waldinger said she believes there are a lot of people still living in damaged houses. The plywood covering the broken windows and holes on her house lets in the cold air.
"The veil between the outside and the inside is very thin, and this becomes more apparent with winter coming on," she said.
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