Don’t Speak English? No Problem For FEMA 

Release Date: January 13, 2006
Release Number: 1604-212

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JACKSON, Miss. -- With the registration deadline extended to March 11 for disaster assistance, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) remind Mississippians that it offers help in many languages.

FEMA can take applications in 173 different languages. There are three choices available when calling to register at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech-or hearing-impaired: English, Spanish and “other callers” or option three (#3). Option three is for those callers who do not speak English or are calling from a rotary dial telephone.

“For those who don’t speak English, FEMA provides an interpretation service that is committed to providing exceptional customer service to all callers,” said Nick Russo, federal coordinating officer for the Mississippi disaster.

When FEMA receives a call from someone who needs assistance in a language other than English, it forwards the call to the interpretation service or language services coordinator who determines the language or dialect interpretation needed. When the language is determined, the FEMA agent and the caller will be transferred to the next available, appropriate interpreter to complete the registration process.

It should take not more than 60 seconds for the FEMA interpretation service to reach the language services coordination team and the call to be underway.

“Other than English and Spanish, Vietnamese is also among the languages spoken in Mississippi,” said MEMA Director, Robert Latham. “The FEMA interpretation service prevents any language being a barrier to receiving disaster assistance.”

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Friday, 13-Jan-2006 14:08:08