Federal aid to Saipan passes $25 million

SAIPAN, CNMI – Federal aid to Typhoon Soudelor survivors on Saipan has passed $25 million.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved just over $20 million in Individual Assistance to households on the island, and the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved nearly $5.9 million in low-interest disaster loans to Saipan homeowners, renters and businesses.

FEMA provides grants while SBA lends money at below-market rates to survivors.

FEMA has approved nearly $14.1 million in Household Assistance (HA) and more than $5.9 million in Other Needs Assistance (ONA). HA provides help such as rental assistance, reimbursement for lodging, and repairs to the damaged home. ONA may provide help, on a case-by-case basis, for miscellaneous personal property needs such as uninsured damage to an essential vehicle, disaster-related moving and storage expenses, and certain medical and dental expenses.

SBA approvals include 70 loans to homeowners and renters totaling nearly $2.3 million and 25 business loans for more than $3.6 million.

Saipan survivors can still register for disaster assistance until Oct. 5. Registering with FEMA starts the process toward both FEMA and SBA help. Survivors can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-321-3362 (FEMA). Those with speech or hearing disability and use 711 or Video Relay Service can register through the regular 800 number, and those who use TTY can call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.