Biden OKs FEMA individual assistance

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED: The second batch of FEMA employees arriving on Guam on May 28. Joshua Crenshaw/Guam Flight Services

President Joe Biden has approved Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's request for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This will provide grants for homeowners and renters, like rental assistance and money for home repairs, the Joint Information Center stated. 

FEMA inspectors will perform home assessments to initiate the relief process, the release added.

FEMA Federal Coordination Officer Bern Ruiz said residents who have suffered damage to their homes as a result of Typhoon Mawar should contact the federal agency to register. 

Residents can register by calling 1-800-621-3362, through their website at disasterassistance.gov and through the FEMA app, Ruiz added.

"We are appreciative of the work we’ve already accomplished with our territorial and federal partners, and I’m happy to announce that more relief is on the way," Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero stated in the release.

"As our community continues making progress towards recovery in the wake of Typhoon Mawar, I’ve been assured that Guam will be provided with every necessary resource for a complete and speedy recovery," she added. 

More information about registration, processing and FEMA’s Individual Assistance program, can be found by visiting fema.gov and disasterassistance.gov, according to the JIC. 

The request letter from Leon Guerrero to Biden, sent on May 28, stated that based on damage surveys conducted by village mayors, 602 homes were destroyed in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, 1,030 homes received major damage, 1,387 received minor damage and more than 4,700 were affected.

"Guam's community constitutes a disproportionately impacted community, whose population falls well below the median national income, is composed of diverse islander communities and an indigenous community. Our people experience adverse human health and environmental impacts, and our geographic distance from the continental U.S. has exacerbated our community's vulnerabilities, resulting in additional supply challenges and limited human resources," Leon Guerrero stated in her request.

"Additionally, our island is experiencing a net negative housing market, where demand exceeds existing supply and rental rates and home prices have priced many residents out of the market altogether. These factors were further aggravated by first the COVID-19 pandemic, and, presently, Typhoon Mawar," she added. 

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