HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Disaster Survivor Assistance teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency began canvassing neighborhoods Friday to help residents apply for disaster assistance and to identify community needs.
According to the Joint Information Center, DSA crews are primarily focused on helping underrepresented populations that may be hard to reach by “traditional channels.”
“Their mission is to assess and report critical and emerging disaster needs to FEMA leadership for decision-making purposes,” the JIC stated.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Guam residents have been left homeless in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, which battered the island just last week, ripping apart homes and leaving many without power or water services.
Mawar destroyed at least 602 homes, while 1,030 homes sustained major damage, according to initial damage assessments.
President Joe Biden approved Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s request for FEMA individual assistance earlier this week. The program can provide up to $41,000 each in grants for homeowners and renters, for areas such as rental assistance and for home repairs.
There are multiple ways to register for the program. Residents can visit the disasterassistance.gov website, download the FEMA app, or call toll-free at 1-800-621-3362.
About 6,800 residents were reported to have registered for the program by Friday morning.
The DSA teams are intended to reach and help residents otherwise unable to apply for the individual assistance program. There are 10 DSA crews on island, which vary in size, and 90 DSA staff on island in total, according to Brad Pierce, the FEMA JIC manager.
By law, the registration deadline for individual assistance is 180 days from the date of the president’s disaster declaration, but that can be extended under certain circumstances, according to Pierce.
In addition to DSA crews, there were 18 FEMA inspectors out in the field by Friday, Pierce said. They arrived Thursday, while more are inbound. The first inspection reports had been turned in by Friday afternoon, Pierce said.
Disaster recovery centers – intended to be one-stop shops for residents seeking assistance from local and federal agencies – are expected to be set up around the island.
Assistance for migrants
While individual assistance grants can provide much-needed financial aid for households affected by Typhoon Mawar, island residents who are citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are not eligible, according to FEMA Region 9 Administrator Robert Fenton Jr.
However, if a migrant household has a child who is a U.S. citizen, or has a U.S. citizen in the household, the household can apply for the individual assistance program.
The FSM, Palau, and the Marshall Islands all have Compacts of Free Association with the United States, allowing their citizens to reside in the United States. Guam serves as a major host to these migrant communities.
Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes noted that the typhoon cost many migrant families their homes, and has asked key federal officials, including Guam Del. James Moylan, for guidance and options on how to assist these families.
Barnes sent her letter Thursday.
Chirag Bhojwani, communications director for the vice speaker, said early Friday afternoon that Barnes’ office hadn’t received a response, but hoped to get one soon.
Del. Moylan, meanwhile, is back on island.
“This topic was brought up during our meeting with (the U.S. Department of the Interior), and we will be looking into this issue when we get back to Washington, D.C., next week,” Moylan told The Guam Daily Post on Friday.
Moylan did submit a letter acknowledging Barnes’ request that day, which went over some updates. Moylan said his office is submitting a letter to Biden requesting a waiver through executive order to get recovery aid to migrant residents of Guam.
“Introducing legislation is not conducive, considering the timelines we are dealing with. We are hopeful that the DOI will be supportive of our endeavors, since the COFA discussions, hence the support of those island residents impacted by this federal provision, are under their jurisdiction,” Moylan stated.
Federal Emergency Management Agency workers Eddie Franklin, left, and Jensen Riopedre-Gomez work to install a FEMA generator Thursday, June 1, 2023, at the Talo’fo’fo’ Mayor’s Office.
