The APEX Accelerator team has been receiving many inquiries by companies wishing to help with disaster cleanup efforts in response to the fires in the Los Angeles region. The area has been declared a federal disaster by President Biden. As such the FEMA response is governed by the Stafford Act. A key provision in the act is when FEMA responds to a disaster, their goal is to contract with local businesses in the affected area, whenever practical and feasible. This is the language from the Stafford Act:
SEC. 307. USE OF LOCAL FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS.
- CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS WITH PRIVATE ENTITIES.— (1) IN GENERAL.—In the expenditure of Federal funds for debris clearance, distribution of supplies, reconstruction, and other major disaster or emergency assistance activities which may be carried out by contract or agreement with private organizations, firms, or individuals, preference shall be given, to the extent feasible and practicable, to those organizations, firms, and individuals residing or doing business primarily in the area affected by such major disaster or emergency.
The entire Stafford Act can be found here: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/stafford-act
Therefore, with size of the population in the Los Angeles metro area, it is highly unlikely that any firms will be used that are not local. This would not prohibit you from being a subcontractor to a local prime contractor to perform any of the work.
Finally, the State has a portal where you can register your company for disaster relief: https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/News/Page-Content/Procurement-Division-News-List-Folder/SBDVBE-ER-Certified-Business-Information
It is also important to note that when a disaster occurs, FEMA provides financial support to the States, who then, disburse funds down to the local governments. So often the contract opportunity lies with the local county where the disaster occurred.
Good luck,
The Monterey Bay APEX Team
