Harrisburg, PA – Tomorrow, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director Randy Padfield will join state and local leaders to discuss recovery efforts 18-months after devastating flooding impacted residents of Berks County in July 2023. As part of the whole community effort to recover, Governor Shapiro activated the Commonwealth’s Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP) to provide financial relief for eligible impacted residents after his request for a federal major disaster declaration was denied.
DRAP is a Commonwealth recovery program designed to fill in gaps in recovery assistance for home repairs, temporary housing, and personal items when other funding is not available to survivors following a disaster. It complements the efforts of the many voluntary organizations who are normally the first organizations that assist individuals and families with recovery after a disaster strikes. The Berks County flooding in July 2023 was the first activation of the program since it was signed into law in as Act 54 of 2022. More information on DRAP can be found here.
WHO:
PEMA Director Randy Padfield
Senator Judy Schwank
Berks County Department of Emergency Services Director Brian Gottschall
Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (PAVOAD) President Julia Frank
WHEN:
Friday, January 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Berks County Department of Emergency Services
2561 Bernville Road
Reading, PA 19605
RSVP:
Press attending should RSVP to Jeff Jumper, jejumper@pa.gov