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Speaking the Language of Louisiana Flood Survivors

Baton Rouge, La. – The population of Louisiana traces its origins back in many directions, with Spanish and French influences dominating. Along the coast, more recent arrivals may speak primarily Vietnamese or other languages.

In fact, it’s estimated that more than 70,000 residents of the 35 parishes designated for federal disaster assistance speak a language other than English. According to census data, the four most prevalent non-English languages spoken in parishes designated for federal assistance are Spanish, French, Chinese and Vietnamese.

However, language is not a barrier to receiving FEMA disaster assistance.

If you or someone you know is non-English speaking, let them know that FEMA has many ways to meet the language needs of survivors. For instance, many FEMA employees are bilingual or multilingual and are able to assist survivors in their primary language during normal encounters in communities, at Disaster Recovery Centers or at public meetings.

As FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams canvass neighborhoods in designated parishes, they take special note of language needs and work with non-English speaking survivors to help them register.

When a Louisiana resident desires to register for FEMA assistance by phoning 800-621-3362, they can speak with a FEMA employee fluent in their language. However, it is helpful if someone who speaks English can assist the disaster survivor when placing the FEMA call.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services also are available for disaster survivors who are Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use TTY to call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service or require accommodations while visiting a Disaster Recovery Center may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids.

ASL interpreters are available at Disaster Recovery Centers open in many places throughout Louisiana; they also are on hand at public meetings where FEMA speakers appear.

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We urge everyone to continue to use caution in areas where floodwaters remain. Monitor DOTD’s www.511la.org website for updated road closure information. Look for advisories from your local authorities and emergency managers. You can find the latest information on the state’s response at www.emergency.la.gov. GOHSEP also provides information on Facebook and Twitter. You can receive emergency alerts on most smartphones and tablets by downloading the new Alert FM App. It is free for basic service. You can also download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other information at www.getagameplan.org.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY 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. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (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 Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800)877-8339.

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Speaking the Language of Louisiana Flood Survivors

FEMA Archaeologists Discover One of the Oldest Native American Artifacts South of Lake Pontchartrain

NEW ORLEANS – Pottery sherds, animal bones and pieces of clay tobacco pipes are among the items recently discovered by a team of archaeologists under contract to the Federal Emergency Management Agency surveying land near Bayou St. John in New Orleans.

“It was a bit of a surprise to find this,” said FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan, referencing a small, broken pottery fragment. “We clearly discovered pottery from the late Marksville period, which dates to 300-400 A.D. The pottery was nice, easily dateable, and much earlier than we expected. This is exciting news for historians and Tribal communities as it represents some of the only intact prehistoric remains of its kind south of Lake Pontchartrain.”

The Bayou St. John spot holds a prominence in New Orleans’ history, throughout the years serving as the location of a Native American occupation, a French fort, a Spanish fort, an American fort, a resort hotel and then an amusement park. Through a series of shovel tests and methodological excavation, the archaeologists discovered evidence of the early Native Americans, the colonial period and the hotel.

“The historical record tells us that the shell midden (or mound) created by the Native American occupation was destroyed by the French when they built their fort here,” said Cadogan. “However, we’ve discovered, through archaeology, that rather than destroy the midden, the French cut off the top of it and used it as a foundation for their fort.”

FEMA’s work near Bayou St. John is part of an agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office, Indian Tribes and the state to perform archaeological surveys of parks and public land in the city of New Orleans. It falls under FEMA’s Environmental and Historic Preservation program, which evaluates historical and environmental concerns that may arise from projects funded by federal dollars.

FEMA hazard mitigation funding was used for thousands of home elevations and reconstructions throughout Louisiana. Rather than evaluate every property for archaeological remains—a nearly impossible task—FEMA, the State Historic Preservation Office and various consulting parties signed an agreement, which allowed FEMA to conduct alternate studies such as the archaeological surveys.

“The surveys not only offset potential destruction of archaeological resources on private property from the home mitigations but also give us a leg up on any future storms. We are helping the state of Louisiana learn about its history as well as provide information that leads to preparedness for the next event,” said Cadogan.

FEMA, in coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office and Indian Tribes, identified the areas to be surveyed. Once the field studies are completed and all of the artifacts are analyzed and recorded, the State Historic Preservation Office will become stewards of the information.

The Louisiana State-Specific Programmatic Agreement can be found at www.fema.gov/pdf/hazard/hurricane/2005katrina/LA_HMGP%20PA.pdf.

Editors: For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/latro.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femalro, blog.fema.gov, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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FEMA Archaeologists Discover One of the Oldest Native American Artifacts South of Lake Pontchartrain

FEMA Speaks Many Languages

NEW YORK – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is focusing efforts on reaching survivors in the diverse communities that make up the 13 New York counties designated for federal individual assistance resulting from the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Sandy. FEMA’s multilingual Community Relations teams are connecting with survivors who otherwise may miss important recovery information if it is not in the language they speak and understand.

The teams are canvassing Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester county neighborhoods to provide information to multilingual communities impacted by the storm.

With informative materials in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish, Urdu, Yiddish, Punjabi Korean, Russian, Tagalog and Vietnamese, the FEMA teams are providing survivors with valuable information about registering with FEMA and, if eligible, getting local, state and federal assistance. Information in Braille also is provided for those who are blind or have low vision.

“One of our primary goals is to get the message out about the many forms of assistance available,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Michael F. Byrne. “That means reaching survivors in all affected communities. Regardless of language or other needs, the message remains the same – FEMA is here alongside survivors, businesses, local governments, voluntary organizations, the state and other federal agencies, as we work together to help New York recover and rebuild.”

Multilingual specialists also maintain contact with media outlets whose audiences consist mainly of non-English speaking readers, listeners or viewers and whose programming is in languages other than English. In New York, more than 500 outlets have been identified and are being contacted by FEMA field media specialists to share resources for multilingual audiences.

FEMA has translated its English language booklet, “Your Guide to Disaster Assistance Programs,” into more than 12 languages. The document provides in-depth information to help disaster assistance applicants understand eligibility requirements for federal disaster aid programs. FEMA teams are distributing the booklets in affected areas and at disaster recovery centers throughout the 13 designated counties in New York. “Help after a Disaster” is available in العربية Arabic, 中文 Chinese, Français French, Ελληνικά Greek, Kreyól Ayisyen Hatian-Creole, עברית Hebrew, हिन्दी Hindi, Italiano Italian, 日本語 Japanese, 한국어 Korean, Laotian Laotian, Hmong Mong, Polski Polish, Português Portuguese, Pусский Russian, Español Spanish, Tagalog Filipino, ภาษไทย Thai, اردو Urdu, TiếngViệt Vietnamese and ייִדיש Yiddish.

Multilingual phone operators are available to help non-English speaking survivors register for disaster aid and to answer their questions. After dialing the FEMA helpline, 800-621-3362, or TTY 800-462-7585, callers should choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

Survivors in any of the 13 designated New York counties may register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with a smartphone or tablet by visiting m.fema.gov or by downloading the FEMA app. Registration is also available by phone at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 800-462-7585 for people who have a speech disability or hearing impairment. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362.

For information about FEMA programs in multiple languages, visit
www.fema.gov/all-languages.

FEMA Speaks Multiple Languages

BATON ROUGE, La. – Hurricane Isaac survivors in Louisiana’s diverse communities are the focus of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) effort to connect with survivors who otherwise may miss important recovery information.

FEMA’s multilingual Community Relations specialists are canvassing Louisiana neighborhoods to provide information to ethnic communities hit by the storm. Armed with informative materials in English, French, Creole, Vietnamese, Greek, Korean and Cambodian, the FEMA teams are providing survivors with valuable information about registering with FEMA and, if eligible, getting local, state and federal assistance. Information in Braille also is provided for those who are blind or have low vision.

“Our goal during a disaster recovery effort of this magnitude is to get the message out about the many ways FEMA may help affected homeowners, renters and businesses,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “That means communicating effectively with everyone who needs assistance, regardless of their language or other needs.”

Multilingual specialists also maintain contact with media outlets whose audience consists mainly of non-English-speaking readers, listeners or viewers.

FEMA has translated its English-language booklet, “Your Guide to Disaster Assistance Programs,” into several languages. This handout provides more in-depth information to help disaster assistance applicants understand eligibility for federal programs. These booklets are being distributed by FEMA specialists in the field and at nearly 30 Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the designated Louisiana parishes.

Multilingual telephone operators are available to help non-English-speaking survivors register for disaster aid and to get their questions answered. After dialing FEMA’s registration/helpline, 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585, callers should choose Option 3. FEMA can provide translation/interpretation services in 250 languages. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362.

Groups, associations and businesses that have non-English-speaking members who sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Isaac and who want to know more about federal and state disaster assistance may contact FEMA’s Speakers Bureau in Baton Rouge at 1-225-388-4797. The Speakers Bureau is available to speak to groups of all types and sizes, and can provide presentations in Spanish, French, Creole and Vietnamese. Sign language interpreters also are available.

Survivors with uninsured or underinsured damages may register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Speaks Multiple Languages

FEMA Working to Strengthen Connection with Survivors

BATON ROUGE, La. – Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are going door to door in communities affected by Hurricane Isaac, seeking out survivors to help connect them with recovery services.

Armed with fliers in English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Braille, some 250 Community Relations specialists are providing survivors with valuable information about registering with FEMA and getting local, state and federal assistance.

The effort is part of FEMA’s stepped-up approach to reach survivors in their homes and communities as quickly and effectively as possible after a disaster declaration. Community Relations specialists also have met survivors at Disaster Recovery Centers, at points of distribution, at shelters and through community- and faith-based groups.

“FEMA’s Community Relations teams meet with survivors wherever possible to let them know how FEMA can help them and to listen to their concerns,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “This creates a vital link that helps us help people.”

The specialists also learn of survivors’ immediate needs and help direct local, state and federal resources to address problems. One Community Relations team is credited with helping prevent a tragedy in Lafourche Parish. When team members visited an elderly woman who wore an oxygen-fed breathing mask, they smelled gas in her home. They calmly asked her to leave the home with them and called local emergency services.

When firefighters arrived, the gas odor was so strong they could not enter the home. Because the woman had breathing assistance, she had not noticed the leak, but emergency officials said a single spark could have caused an explosion.

The Community Relations teams also may be able to dispel rumors in the community and help FEMA debunk myths. The specialists help to identify survivors who require language translations and who have functional or access needs due to a disability or being elderly.

“They are our eyes and ears in the field,” Hall said. “By having Community Relations specialists out there, FEMA and the state are learning how to best help survivors recover from Hurricane Isaac.”

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. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Working to Strengthen Connection with Survivors