[StBernard] RUMORS VS FACTS ON FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR HURRICANE ISAAC SURVIVORS

[Westley Annis]

FEMA RECOVERY - Fact Sheet

 

RUMORS VS FACTS ON FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR HURRICANE ISAAC SURVIVORS

 

*	RUMOR: There's no easy way to get true, reliable info about FEMA's
disaster aid programs. 

FACT: Straight answers and plain facts are available from the disaster aid
program experts on FEMA's Help Line. Call 1-800-621-3362 or TTY
1-800-462-7585 to learn about disaster assistance programs and to register
for aid. You can talk with multilingual experts every day from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m.

 

*	RUMOR: It's hard to register for FEMA disaster assistance. 

FACT: There are three ways to register for disaster assistance. Call
1-800-621-3362; TTY 1-800-462-7585; online, visit www.disasterassistance.gov
or go to m.fema.gov <http://m.fema.gov/>  via web-enabled phone. Users of
711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 1-800-621-3362.

	*	Louisiana residents who live in parishes designated for
federal assistance - Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans,
Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. John and St. Tammany - are urged to register
with FEMA as soon as possible.  

 

*	RUMOR: It takes a long time for disaster aid to reach survivors. 

FACT: FEMA already has Individual Assistance specialists on the ground in
Louisiana, and they have already approved more than $1.8 million in
assistance to survivors. They will continue to process assistance for
eligible survivors as applications are received.

 

*	RUMOR: Survivors can't register for FEMA assistance if they have
insurance.

FACT: Survivors may be eligible for FEMA disaster aid for their uninsured
and underinsured losses and damage. 

 

*	RUMOR: Renters can't get FEMA aid.

FACT: Renters whose homes were made unlivable by a disaster may be eligible
for FEMA disaster grants, including rental assistance and other
disaster-related needs.  

 

*	RUMOR: When survivors register, they immediately qualify and receive
payments from FEMA.

FACT:  After survivors register, their completed applications are reviewed,
and an inspector may call to schedule an inspection at their home. If
survivors are eligible for assistance, they should receive a U.S.
Treasury/State check or notification of a direct deposit to their bank
accounts. Other types of assistance may be provided later, based on specific
eligibility and need.

 

*	RUMOR: FEMA is issuing survivors $200 checks for food and $400
checks for electricity.

FACT:  FEMA does not issue checks for food or electricity.

 

*	RUMOR: FEMA is issuing food stamps to Hurricane Isaac survivors.
*	FACT:  The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services'
(DCFS) will begin on September 5th taking applications for disaster food
stamps, now known as the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(DSNAP). Survivors in St. Bernard Parish can apply at Christian Fellowship
Church in Violet.

 

*	RUMOR: It takes weeks before a FEMA housing inspector visits.

FACT: On this recovery operation, it is taking only two to three days for an
inspector to call and schedule a property inspection.

 

*	RUMOR: Only businesses can get low-interest disaster loans from SBA.

FACT: SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters,
businesses of all sizes (including landlords) and private nonprofit
organizations for disaster damages not fully covered by insurance or other
compensation.  Residents in St. Bernard Parish can apply in the ballroom of
the Civic Center. 

 

*	RUMOR: Immigrants do not qualify for federal assistance.

FACT: It's true that applicants must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national
or a qualified alien to be eligible for FEMA grants. However, aid may be
available if someone registers on behalf of a child in the home who is a
U.S. citizen or a qualified alien. 

 

*	RUMOR: FEMA is paying to remove debris from private property.

FACT: FEMA is reviewing whether this program will be available for Hurricane
Isaac damage.

 

*	RUMOR: Survivors with roof damage can get free tarps through
Operation Blue Roof.
*	FACT: The official "Blue Roof" program is not launched but some
voluntary organizations are providing tarps for damaged homes. Contact
Louisiana 2-1-1 for more information.

 

 

More information about this disaster is available online at
www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.getagameplan.org
<http://www.getagameplan.org> .