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Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $82 Million

AURORA, Ill. – Federal assistance in Illinois has reached more than $82.4 million, distributed among more than 30,200 individuals and households, since a major disaster was declared in the state May 10.

The latest summary of federal assistance to individuals and households that suffered losses due to the severe storms and flooding between April 16 and May 5 includes:

More than $82.4 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households;
Of that amount, more than $72 million approved for housing assistance, including temporary rental assistance, home repair costs and assistance toward replacing destroyed homes;
More than $10 million approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and damaged personal possessions;
More than 42,000 home inspections completed to confirm disaster damage;
More than $7.7 million in loans to homeowners, renters or business owners has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration; and
More than 2,300 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) operated jointly by FEMA and the state of Illinois.

Eleven counties in Illinois were included in the initial declaration, but on May 22, an additional
14 counties were added for individual assistance. On May 31, another eight counties were added.

Residents of 33 counties in the major disaster declaration can now register for federal assistance. The counties include Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Clark, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Pike, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford.

Public Assistance also has been approved for 24 Illinois counties. This program includes funding for debris removal, emergency protective measures and infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. This assistance is on a cost-sharing basis with FEMA paying 75 percent with the remainder the responsibility of the state and local governments.

Hazard Mitigation teams are located at six home improvement stores throughout the area providing information on how to repair or rebuild stronger and safer to help avoid damage from future storms.

Survivors may be eligible for additional services including federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for those who worked or were scheduled to begin work in one of the 33 counties declared for Individual Assistance. The assistance extends to self-employed individuals, farm workers and others who have lost income as a result of the storm and flooding from April 16 to May 5. DUA applications are available at Illinois Department of Employment Security offices. For office locations, call 800-244-5631 or go online to www.ides.illinois.gov/myoffice.

Legal aid is another service available to survivors who have legal issues related to the disaster. The Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois American Bar Association provides this free service for low-income individuals and families. Attorneys can advise on a variety of issues, including securing FEMA and other government services; life, medical and property insurance claims; and replacing wills and other important documents. Call 855-875-3362 for more information.

For those feeling symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression the “TalkWithUs” helpline can provide information for adults and children in distress related to this disaster. Help is available in English and Spanish. The helpline number is 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. The service is available
24 hours a day. TTY is 800-846-8517.

It is not necessary to visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to register with FEMA. Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. For more information, visit the Illinois Disaster website www.fema.gov/disaster/4116.

Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

SBA low-interest disaster loans may be available for homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofit organizations of all sizes to repair or replace real estate, contents and/or personal property damaged in the severe storms and flooding. Information and assistance from SBA is available at
800-659-2955, (TTY) 800-877-8339 or online at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

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

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Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $82 Million

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.

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

FEMA Specialists Offer Registration Assistance in Many Languages

Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $68 Million

AURORA, Ill. – Federal assistance in Illinois has reached more than $68 million, distributed among 24,000 individuals and households, since a major disaster was declared in the state May 10.

The latest summary of federal assistance to individuals and households that suffered losses due to the severe storms and flooding between April 16 and May 5 includes:

More than $68.3 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households;
Of that amount, more than $60 million approved for housing assistance, including temporary rental assistance, home repair costs and assistance toward replacing destroyed homes;
More than $8 million approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and damaged personal possessions;
More than 33,000 home inspections completed to confirm disaster damage;
Nearly $2 million in loans to homeowners, renters or business owners has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration; and
More than 1,560 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) operated jointly by FEMA and the state of Illinois.

Fourteen languages, other than English, are being used to communicate assistance information to those affected by the severe storms and flooding: Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu and Vietnamese. FEMA also has specialists who are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).

Eleven counties in Illinois were included in the initial declaration, but on May 22, an additional 14 counties were added for individual assistance.

Residents of 25 counties in the major disaster declaration can now register for federal assistance. The counties include Bureau, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Will and Woodford.

It is not necessary to visit a DRC to register with FEMA. Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. For more information visit the Illinois Disaster website
www.fema.gov/disaster/4116

SBA low-interest disaster loans may be available for homeowners, renters, businesses and private non-profit organizations of all sizes to repair or replace real estate, contents and/or personal property damaged in the severe storms and flooding. Information and assistance from SBA is available at 1-800-659-2955, (TTY) 1-800-877-8339 or online at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

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Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $68 Million

FEMA and Ad Council Help Americans Prepare for Severe Weather

WASHINGTON – Recent severe weather and the start of the Atlantic hurricane season reinforce the need for Americans to familiarize themselves with the look, sound and authenticity of real-time Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). To encourage, educate and empower Americans to identify WEAs so they can take steps to prepare for emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Ad Council are unveiling new public service advertisements (PSAs). The PSAs are a part of the Ready campaign which for ten years has encouraged Americans to prepare in advance of natural disasters and other emergencies.

The new English and Spanish PSAs will be distributed as part of Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 26 – June 1, 2013), an annual effort by FEMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Hurricane Center to inform the public about hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to prepare and take action. A lack of hurricane awareness and preparation has historically contributed to the devastation wrought by past major hurricane disasters.

WEAs are emergency messages sent by local authorized government authorities through wireless carriers’ networks. The alerts include a special tone and vibration. The messages are no more than 90 characters and contain the type and time of the alert, any action individuals should take and the issuing agency. Types of alerts include extreme weather such as hurricane, tornado or flash flood warnings; AMBER alerts and alerts issued by the President*. More than 100 carriers, including all of America’s largest wireless carriers, offer the WEA service for free and no subscription is necessary. Alerts are broadcast from area cell towers warning everyone in range with a WEA-capable device of a potential emergency situation.

“Many people may not realize that they carry a potentially lifesaving tool with them in their pockets or purses every day,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “As hurricane season approaches, we want Americans to know that Wireless Emergency Alerts delivered to their mobile phones by FEMA, the National Weather Service and other agencies, can help people take appropriate preparedness steps when facing potential man-made and natural disasters.”

Created by Washington, DC and Oakland, CA based Free Range Studios, the PSAs highlight the potentially lifesaving role of WEAs when facing natural disasters, as well as other emergencies. The TV PSA drives home the preparedness point and the crucial role of mobile technology with a slow-motion montage of lifesaving objects (pedestrian signal, life preserver, defibrillator, and seat belt) which transition to an image of a wireless device delivering a WEA. The PSA ends by demonstrating the positive result of WEAs by showing a family taking shelter after receiving a tornado alert. The English radio, TV, and digital PSAs direct audiences to Ready.gov/alerts for more information. The Spanish radio, TV and digital PSAs direct to Listo.gov/alertas.

“It was an honor to work with the Ad Council and FEMA on this PSA campaign,” said Erica Priggen executive producer at Free Range Studios. “Wireless Emergency Alerts are an invaluable new way of getting information out in the face of disasters, crises and national news breaking events. Knowing that WEAs can help save lives, and empower people in serious times of need, made the project a very gratifying collaboration.”

“Utilizing the power of communication to keep Americans healthy and safe is our mission and nowhere is this better exemplified than in our 10-year partnership on the Ready campaign,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “We are excited to launch this new facet of the campaign and continue to help FEMA deliver critical messages to the American public.”

Since its launch in 2003, the Ready campaign has encouraged Americans to prepare in advance, to minimize the impact of an emergency on their families, homes or businesses. WEAs are another tool to help Americans be more prepared in times of crisis. To date, the campaign has received over $1 billion in donated media and the campaign website Ready.gov has received over 77 million visits. More than 88 million preparedness materials have been requested or downloaded from Ready.gov and Ad Council tracking surveys show that since 2005, the proportion of U.S. households who have taken any steps to prepare has increased by 13%, from 45% to 58%. Per the Ad Council model, PSAs are distributed to media outlets nationwide and run and air in advertising time and space donated by the media.

For more information on the campaign visit Ready.gov or follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter @ReadyGov.

* Participating carriers may allow subscribers to block all but Presidential alerts.

FEMA

The Advertising Council

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. For more information, please visit www.adcouncil.org. You can also visit www.facebook.com/adcouncil or follow the Ad Council on Twitter @AdCouncil.

Free Range Studios

Free Range works with visionary companies and organizations to create story-based brands, transforming clients’ visions for a better future into emotionally compelling media — from interactive and mobile to print and video. We believe people are hungry for brands and movements that offer empowerment, not fear and insecurity. Our home offices are in Washington, DC and Oakland, CA. For more information visit our website at freerange.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/freerangestudios, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/freerangestudio.

Media Contacts

Lisa Cullen, Ad Council, 202-331-5052, lcullen@adcouncil.org

FEMA, 202-646-3272, FEMA-News-Desk@dhs.gov

Frankie Ridolfi, Free Range Studios, 510-292-4737, frankie@freerange.com

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FEMA and Ad Council Help Americans Prepare for Severe Weather

Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Reaches $51 Million

CHICAGO – In the nearly two weeks since 11 counties in Illinois were declared a major disaster area, federal assistance has reached $51 million, distributed among more than 17,000 individuals and households.

The latest summary of federal assistance to individuals and households that suffered losses due to the severe storms and flooding between April 16 and May 5 includes:

$51 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households;
Of that amount, more than $45 million approved for housing assistance, including temporary rental assistance, home repair costs and assistance toward replacing destroyed homes;
Nearly $6 million approved to cover essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and damaged personal possessions;
More than 22,000 home inspections completed to confirm disaster damage; and
More than 900 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) operated jointly by FEMA and the state of Illinois.

Eight languages, other than English, are being used to communicate assistance information to those affected by the severe storms and flooding: Arabic, German, Korean, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Urdu.

On May 22, 2013, FEMA approved the addition of 14 counties. Residents of 25 counties in the major disaster declaration can now register for federal assistance. The counties include Bureau, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Will and Woodford.

Individuals can apply 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. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

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Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Reaches $51 Million

FEMA, Federal Partners Support Response to Severe Storms in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners, including the National Weather Service, continue to closely monitor the effects of severe weather that impacted Oklahoma and other areas within the Central United States, and at the President’s direction, are already providing resources to support the response.

Today, President Obama, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, spoke with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin to express concern for citizens impacted by the severe weather and tornadoes, to offer support and make clear the Administration stood ready to provide additional resources as necessary. The administration, through FEMA, is closely monitoring the impacts of the storm and remains in close contact with emergency officials to ensure there are not any unmet needs. FEMA and its partners have teams on the ground in hard hit areas, and is prepared to deploy additional teams and resources, if needed by the states. On Sunday night, at the state’s request, FEMA deployed a liaison officer to the Oklahoma emergency operations center in anticipation of severe weather. FEMA commends the efforts of the local emergency and public works personnel, volunteers, and humanitarian organizations who are providing emergency assistance to those in impacted areas.

Federal activities underway today to support Oklahoma response efforts include the following:

FEMA deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to the state emergency operations center in Oklahoma City to coordinate with state and local officials in support of recovery operations. FEMA also deployed Urban Search and Rescue Teams and a Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) Team to Oklahoma to provide self-sustaining telecommunications, logistics, and operations support elements. FEMA also has additional personnel from the Denton, Texas regional office on alert.
This afternoon, FEMA activated the National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., a multi-agency coordination center that provides overall coordination of the federal response to natural disasters and emergencies, to support state requests for assistance. FEMA Region VI Response Coordination Centers (RRCC) located in Denton, Texas remains activated to coordinate any requests for federal assistance, if requested.
A FEMA liaison officer is currently at the Oklahoma emergency operations center to assist with coordination efforts. FEMA’s regional office in Denton, Texas is in constant coordination and communications with Oklahoma’s emergency management team and local officials.
FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration deployed preliminary damage assessments teams to help identify the damages in impacted counties.

We urge residents in impacted areas to listen carefully to instructions from their local officials and take the recommended protective measures to safeguard life and property while response efforts continue. Listen to state, local and tribal officials who ask you to remain in shelters, homes or safe places until they give the “all clear” to travel. Roads are very likely to be damaged or blocked by debris, and traffic jams slow emergency managers and first responders as they attempt to reach hard-hit areas.

According to the National Weather Service, there continues to be a risk of severe weather this evening across areas of the southern Plains including Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas and severe weather is possible further north including parts of Illinois and Wisconsin.

We encourage individuals in the affected area to monitor local radio or TV stations or the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov or a NOAA weather radio for the latest information, for updated weather and emergency information, and to follow the instructions of state, local, and tribal officials. For those in areas that are forecast to be affected by severe weather, now is the time to get prepared for tornadoes and other disasters.

There are tools and resources available online to help you prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of disaster. Visit www.ready.gov to learn more. The Spanish language site – listo.gov. Those with a Blackberry, Android or Apple device can download the FEMA app to access safety tips, shelter locations, and more.

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FEMA, Federal Partners Support Response to Severe Storms in Oklahoma

Louisiana Observes National Severe Weather Preparedness Week

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisianians know severe weather. In the last six months alone, the state has experienced two federally declared disasters, Hurricane Isaac and the January severe storms and floods.

The week of March 3-9 marks National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges Louisiana residents to add to their existing knowledge as they make themselves, their families and their homes storm ready.

FEMA and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have joined together to increase awareness of severe weather and to motivate individuals, families, businesses and communities to take actions that will prepare them to face severe weather. “Be a Force of Nature” is the slogan for this year’s campaign.

“FEMA’s mission includes supporting the nation in bettering its capability to prepare for severe weather and other disasters,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of FEMA. “Initiatives like Severe Weather Preparedness Week help people everywhere learn how they can prepare for the sorts of weather-related hazards they face in their communities.”

Louisiana experiences tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat, thunderstorms and hail. Residents can take steps now to reduce the impact of these events on their families, including:

Take a “Pledge to Prepare” at www.ready.gov/severe-weather.
Put together an emergency kit for your family.
Get a NOAA weather radio.

LaHouse Resource Center at Louisiana State University showcases more ways people can safeguard their homes. Click on http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/11415.

To learn more about severe weather, click www.weather.gov and http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/. For resources in Spanish, click www.listo.gov. Disaster preparedness is featured on www.flash.org.

More information on Louisiana disaster recovery is available online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. FEMA is also on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA.

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Louisiana Observes National Severe Weather Preparedness Week

Calling All Landlords: Storm Survivors Need Your Help

PEARL, Miss. –Landlords with available rental properties in Mississippi are urged to contact a housing locator service to list their available rental properties.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are working together to find housing for those displaced by the recent tornadoes, storms and flooding. In support of that, they encourage Mississippi landlords in or near the four counties affected – Forrest, Lamar, Marion and Wayne – to list their available rentals properties online at www.socialserve.com or to call SocialServe.com toll-free at 877-428-8844, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. -7 p.m. with property details.

To post online with SocialServe.com, landlords must click the orange ‘List a Property’ rectangle on the right side of the web page and follow the prompts to enter information about a rental.

Whether they call or go online, landlords should have details readily available about the rental unit such as:

Type of dwelling.
Number of bedrooms and baths.
Handicapped accessibility.
Pet policy.
Monthly rental and deposit amount.
Whether utilities are included.
Other need-to-know information.

Socialserve.com offers assistance in English and Spanish. All vacant rental properties will be added to FEMA’s list of housing units for disaster survivors.

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 temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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Original article:

Calling All Landlords: Storm Survivors Need Your Help

Tune in to a Weather Radio for the Holidays

WINDSOR, Conn. — With the holidays approaching, shoppers may want to consider a gift that can make a difference for the whole family — a weather radio.

Weather radios transmit alerts of severe weather and dangerous conditions. They broadcast National Weather Service forecasts, severe weather warnings and watches on impending natural hazards 24 hours a day over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radio network. Messages are also available in Spanish.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends that consumers purchase a weather radio developed by NOAA and the Consumer Electronics Association. Radios with the Public Alert logo meet certain technical standards.

Weather radios are available at electronics stores and online at prices ranging from $20 to $200. They can be portable or desktop models. NOAA recommends the following features:

A special alarm tone to alert you to severe weather even if the audio is off;

Specific Alert Message Encoding to allow you to choose alerts for your geographic area only;
The ability to select certain types of events and block others;
A hand crank, battery or solar-powered radio that will operate during electrical outages;
National Weather Service frequency tuning; and
External or wireless output for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or blind, allowing connection to an alarm or other attention-getting device, such as a personal computer or text printer.

More information is available online at www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr. The link has a list of frequencies used for NWS weather alerts.

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Tune in to a Weather Radio for the Holidays

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.