FEMA registrations hit 1,300

The number of individuals seeking federal assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Soudelor has reached 1,300 as of Sunday.

Press secretary Ivan Blanco said the figure was the latest from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Blanco said the CNMI government and FEMA continue to request the public to register via telephone or Internet for assistance.

He clarified that a disaster recovery center, to be located at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, is not yet open.

“The government is aiming to open the DRC on Tuesday next week,” Blanco said, adding that generators and telephone lines need to be set up before the DRC can operate.

The number of registrants was “over 800” on Saturday, according to Stephen DeBlasio, the federal coordinating officer for FEMA.

He said the number was reached in the first 36 hours following President Barack Obama’s official declaration of a state of disaster for the CNMI.

DeBlasio added that FEMA is encouraging disaster survivors on Saipan to continue to register via telephone and the Internet.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Disaster assistance applicants, 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, call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7am to 9pm (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

DeBlasio reiterated that the planned DRC “is not designed for registration” but as a venue where survivors can get more “supplemental information” and further help on how to get assistance.

How to apply for assistance

The CNMI Joint Information Center, together with FEMA, meanwhile, released an advisory on how to register for assistance to make the process quicker:

1) 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Automated Menu: When CNMI applicants call FEMA for the first time to register for assistance, they are sometimes mistakenly pressing 3 and connecting with Helpline agents instead of pressing 1 for Registration Intake.

Instead, survivors need to Press 1 if they are calling 1-800-621-3362 for the first time to register for assistance, then dial 1 to register for assistance.

2) Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT): Agents are seeing a trend in CNMI callers not knowing their routing numbers, as they use debit cards, and do not have checks to reference.

To expedite the registration process, applicants should have their Bank Routing Numbers when they register. By having that information, FEMA can provide electronic funds transfer and the disaster survivor may receive funds more quickly.

3.) To prevent issues when registering, FEMA recommends that registrants provide a description of their house and/or location in the address box, instead of their P.O. Box.

4.) Registrants should also have the following documents for registration:

Your Social Security number and those of your family members (if readily available for family members)

Current and pre-disaster address – Description of house/location instead of PO Box.

A working telephone number where you can be contacted

Insurance information

Total household annual income

A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster

A routing and account number from your bank

The routing numbers for CNMI institutions are the following:

Bank of Saipan: 121403078;

Bank of Guam: 121405115;

City Trust Bank: 121403049;

Bank of Hawaii: 121405018;

First Hawaiian Bank: 121403065;

BankPacific: 321470364