Disaster recovery center opens today

A disaster recovery center will open today at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe to help individuals and families affected by Typhoon Soudelor with the recovery process.

The DRC will open today at 12pm and accommodate disaster victims until 5pm.

Normal hours of operation will be Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 5pm, and Sunday, from 10am to 4pm.

“After registering online or by telephone, survivors can access ‘one-stop shop’ service at the DRC and receive assistance with additional registration needs such as case inquiries and updates,” a statement released by the government on Tuesday said.

Experts from Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the American Red Cross will be available at the DRC.

“While visiting the DRC is not required, an in-person visit following registration often proves extremely helpful to survivors in understanding the entire range of possible assistance for which they may be eligible,” the statement said.

Visitors are requested to bring identification cards, Social Security numbers, and their FEMA registration number (which you will get by registering first with FEMA). The FEMA number will be the number visitors will have to reference every time they interact with FEMA staff regarding registration.

Those seeking assistance are also requested to bring insurance documents, receipts of any repairs performed on homes or items purchased to recover from typhoon damage (not all will be eligible for reimbursement, but good to have just in case), and any other documents that may further verify survivors’ occupancy or ownership of a home.

Survivors are encouraged to apply for assistance before going to the DRC by calling 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362 to register. Online registration is also available at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

If survivors are unable to register prior to visiting the DRC, there will be a phone bank available for registration or helpline support.

As of Monday, the number of registrants has reached more than 3,000.

Shelter issues

FEMA said it is addressing concerns regarding the conditions of temporary shelters for victims of Typhoon Soudelor.

Earlier, Delegate Gregorio Kilikili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) described the shelters as “unacceptable and filthy.”

Stephen DeBlasio, the federal coordinating officer for FEMA, said the agency continues to make sure the shelters do not have “unsanitary, unsafe, and unhealthy conditions.”

He said he personally visited the shelters and saw telephones working, generators running, and sufficient supplies of blankets and beddings.

“There is water and children were playing basketball,” DeBlasio said.

DeBlasio also invited anyone with specific issues on the shelters to bring their concerns to the CNMI government or directly to him.

He said he will then “coordinate with the government so we can address those issues.”

DeBlasio added that since Monday last week, a “shelter task force” has been doing the rounds to check on the shelters.

He said the task force has members from FEMA, the CNMI government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Red Cross, and other concerned agencies.

“They meet everyday at the hospital to resolve and identify any issues at the shelters,” DeBlasio said.

Hundreds of residents reportedly rushed to the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center on Monday hoping to receive assistance, only to find out that the center is not yet open.

DeBlasio stressed that the DRC is not a distribution center but a venue where those seeking financial assistance can be provide supplemental information.

American Red Cross relief operations director Denise Everhart, meanwhile, said the ARC continues to provide three meals a day to those in shelters.

The ARC is also doing surveys on the shelters and is looking to train those manning the shelters with “better practice on how to run the shelters, she said.