Qualified Aliens Eligible for Federal Disaster Assistance
Release Date: September 3, 2008
Release Number: 1785-013
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- People affected by Tropical Storm Fay who possess legal, permanent resident cards (INS Form I-551, often referred to as a "Green Card") are eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance if they reside in one of the 10 Florida counties - Brevard, Duval, Hendry, Lee, Leon, Okeechobee, Seminole, St. Lucie, Volusia and Wakulla - that received a major disaster declaration by President George W. Bush.
An individual or a pre-disaster member of the household must be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien. In addition, a person who is not a qualified alien, but whose child is a citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien, may apply for assistance on behalf of the child.
Persons with temporary tourist, student and work visas, and with Temporary Resident Cards (INS Form I-688) are not considered qualified aliens.
Applicants should register by calling FEMA toll-free 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Those with a speech or hearing impairment may call the TTY line at 800-462-7585 and apply. Multilingual operators are available. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate 7 a.m. to midnight daily until further notice. Application for disaster assistance can also be made by registering online at www.fema.gov or at one of the Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs).
Once registered, applicants can visit a DRC to check on their case, answer questions about their claim, or request information FEMA needs to process their claim. Recovery specialists can also supply contacts for other programs that may be able to help.
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. These loans are to repair or replace homes, businesses and personal property damaged by Tropical Storm Fay and continued flooding that is not covered by insurance.
SBA representatives will be on hand at the DRCs to meet with individuals and business owners to answer any questions about SBA's disaster loan program; help them complete their SBA disaster loan application and accept the completed disaster loan applications. Anyone not able to go to a DRC should call the SBA Customer Service Center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday, at 800-659-2955 for information and assistance or visit the SBA website at www.sba.gov.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 03-Sep-2008 09:44:15