Are you a farmer, rancher, or food producer that was impacted by the recent floods in Santa Barbara? Farmers and ranchers seeking assistance should call the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Templeton (San Luis Obispo County) at 805-434-0396, or Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) at 805-928-9269. Your county’s FSA office will ask for your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. FSA staff will send the disaster application information and fact sheets with program information. Click here for additional information about USDA’s Disaster Relief Program.
Individuals living in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo County who were impacted by January’s storms and flood waters should apply for FEMA assistance. You can apply in the following ways:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov or disasterassistance.gov/es (Spanish)
- Via smartphone at m.fema.gov; m.fema.gov/esp (Spanish)
- Call the registration phone number at 1-800-621-3362; those who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
Disaster-related assistance may include:
- Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable;
- Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items;
- Unemployment payments for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and do not qualify for state benefits (self-employed);
- Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance;
- Crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; or
- Advisory assistance for legal veterans’ benefits and social security matters.
