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FEMA Specialists Offer Registration Assistance in Many Languages

AURORA, Ill. – Illinois residents affected by the severe storms and flooding can get help to register for federal disaster assistance in their native language.

Bilingual and multilingual specialists with the FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams (DSATs) began canvassing neighborhoods shortly after the presidential disaster declaration to help American Sign Language (ASL) and non-English speakers understand the registration process.

Fourteen languages, other than English, are being used to communicate assistance information to those who had damages from the severe storms and flooding between April 16 and May 5: Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu and Vietnamese. More languages will be added as the need arises. FEMA also has specialists who are fluent in ASL.

FEMA has a “Help After a Disaster” guide available in many languages and alternative formats, including large print and Braille. The brochure, which can be accessed at www.fema.gov/help-after-disaster, explains the FEMA Individual and Households Program and provides guidance on applying for assistance.

FEMA specialists provide information to multilingual media outlets and community groups across the affected areas to get the word out to residents whose primary language is not English.

“One of the main goals during a disaster recovery effort is to get the message out to everyone about the many ways FEMA can help eligible survivors,” said Federal Coordinating Officer W. Michael Moore. “That means bridging all possible communication barriers.”

Multilingual phone operators are available to help non-English speaking survivors register for disaster aid and to answer 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. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362.

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 FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

FEMA Specialists Offer Registration Assistance in Many Languages

FEMA hires 500 New York residents for recovery operation

NEW YORK – More than 500 residents from New York City’s five boroughs and Long Island have been hired by FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Within the first weeks of the storm, FEMA deployed nearly 3,800 reservists from all over the country. These reservists came from every walk of life and professional background. For example, in External Affairs, a former TV broadcaster from Tennessee may work alongside a retired Navy public affairs officer from Missouri.

As some of the reservists begin to return home, FEMA’s practice on large-scale disasters is to hire some of its workforce from the local community. These are full-time, temporary positions.

Sometimes there is a misconception that FEMA only hires local people who have been affected by the disaster, but that is not the case. The agency hires people based on experience and qualifications.

Those hired work in a range of departments and positions.

While local hires often have a sense of mission working for the agency, FEMA benefits from their cultural and geographic knowledge. In the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, where many in the Russian-Jewish population have a limited proficiency in English, FEMA has benefited from hiring several employees from the community.

Another advantage to FEMA is that many local hires go on to have a successful career in emergency management. Some even go all the way to the top. Justo Hernandez started as a housing inspector for the agency in 1989 during Hurricane Hugo and went on to become a Federal Coordinating Officer, which is the top federal executive position in a disaster operation.

To learn more about Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in New York, visit www.FEMA.gov/SandyNY.

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.

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FEMA hires 500 New York residents for recovery operation

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.