U.S. Citizenship Not Required For Disaster Assistance
Release Date: June 6, 2003
Release Number: 1464-54
» More Information on Tennessee Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding
Nashville, TN -- Persons with qualified alien status, such as legal permanent residents, are eligible to apply for state and federal disaster assistance for damages sustained from this spring's tornadoes, severe storms and flooding. They may apply if they are in one of the 65 counties that were declared a disaster area by President Bush.
Assistance for eligible individuals and small businesses includes funds for temporary housing and necessary home repairs, individual and household grants, disaster unemployment assistance, low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and other programs.
A lawful, permanent resident's status will not be jeopardized by requesting disaster assistance.
A minor child who is a citizen can have a parent or guardian who is not a qualified alien apply for assistance on the child's behalf.
The application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance requires applicants to certify that they are either citizens or qualified aliens. FEMA conducts random audits of assistance applications to verify U.S. citizenship and qualified alien documentation issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Eligible applicants with damage from the disaster can register for state and federal assistance at 1- 800-621-FEMA (3362), or 1-800-462-7585 (TDD) for the hearing or speech impaired. The toll-free lines are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.
Last Modified: Friday, 06-Jun-2003 16:34:59