FEMA aid still available for those who need help

Fourth part of a series

Recovery assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is still available to those affected by Super Typhoon Yutu.

FEMA’s external affairs representatives Todd Hoose and Veronica Roberts said that several individual assistance programs are available for both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens alike.

Assistance programs for U.S. citizens include:

Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, or CCP, which assists individuals still recovering from the trauma of the typhoon through “community-based outreach and psycho-educational services.”

Disaster Unemployment Assistance, or DUA, provides individuals reimbursement if they could not work due to the aftermath of the typhoon.

Disaster Legal Services, or DLS, gives individuals an attorney to help resolve land ownership conflicts to legally prove that they own land for disaster assistance eligibility.

Disaster Case Management, or DCM, allows an individual to talk to a FEMA representative to develop a “disaster recovery plan,” which is designed to fit the individual’s specific needs.

The most important program is the Individuals and Households Program, or IHP, because it “provides financial and direct assistance or both to eligible disaster survivors.” IHP reimburses individuals based on their housing and personal needs to help them start their road to recovery. Reimbursement will be received 2-3 weeks after proper documentation has been approved.

More than $36 million have been allocated for individual assistance in the CNMI.

FEMA has also approved the implementation of the Voluntary Agencies Leading and Organizing Repair program, or VALOR program, and the Permanent Housing Construction program, or PHC program, in the CNMI.

Because FEMA cannot directly help people that are not U.S. citizens, the VALOR program pays for off-island non-profit voluntary agencies such as the Mennonite Disaster Service and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to perform minor repairs to damaged houses of non-U.S. citizens. People that are renting damaged houses and have not received any financial or housing assistance may be eligible for the program.

The VALOR program is “not intended to return homes to their pre-disaster condition,” but return the homes to a healthy and safe living space. Some repairs include roof replacement and electrical and plumbing repairs. Thirty-seven roofs have already been rebuilt in damaged houses. All materials and supplies for repairs were paid by FEMA.

This program will continue in the CNMI for at least another year. The VALOR program has only been implemented thrice in FEMA history.

The PHC program is separated into two divisions: the new program and the repair program. This program allows FEMA to fly in contractors that will rebuild damaged houses of U.S. citizens. The new program will completely build new, concrete houses, while the repair program will repair houses that were not totally destroyed.

Currently, 373 homes in the CNMI have been approved for the new program and about 400 homes have been approved for the repair program. These households have already been identified by FEMA.

The first 40 repair homes will start construction by June and the first 40 new homes will start by July. Contractors will arrive in the CNMI by May 13 to start individual assessment of the first 40 repair homes. After the first two months, 20 homes will start construction each month until all homes have been fully built.

The PHC program requires that the people must temporarily move to a new place while the repairs are being done. The CNMI government is still planning how to aid these people for temporary housing.

People that are still waiting for FEMA assistance are those that were interested in the PHC program. If you are not part of the PHC program, it takes two to three weeks to receive financial assistance.

FEMA cannot help individuals if they do not contact the agency about any problems or inquiries. If you are interested in any individual assistance programs or have not received financial assistance, contact FEMA at 800-621-3362. If you are interested in the VALOR program, email cnmi-valor@fema.dhs.gov.