SAIPAN — Federal officials from FEMA and the Small Business Administration joined JIC Coordinator Miguel Dandan at the NMI News Service studio Tuesday morning to push residents to apply for disaster assistance, warning that people are waiting too long out of uncertainty or a belief that others need it more.
FEMA External Affairs Officer Veronica Verde said 2,900 valid registrations have been received so far and urged residents to keep applying. “Sometimes people think that other people are more worthy than them,” Verde said. “This is the time to apply.”
Verde said the application takes about 20 minutes. Residents are asked for their name, address of the damaged property, a phone number, an email address and a description of damages. FEMA should respond within 7 to 10 days. She also flagged a technical issue being reported by some residents trying to apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov through login.gov.
Dandan offered a tip: use Google Authenticator or a similar app rather than waiting for a text message code when logging in. “The authenticator app is the fastest and easiest way,” he said.
Verde confirmed that renters are eligible to apply. FEMA covers personal property and vehicles for renters. Homeowners are covered for real property and personal property. If a homeowner has rental properties, those are considered a business and fall under the SBA program rather than FEMA individual assistance.
SBA Public Affairs Specialist Raenada Mason said the SBA program is designed to be accessible even to residents with no credit history. “Our goal is to give a yes,” Mason said. “If you’re needing it, we’re going to work our best way to get that funding for you.” Loans include a one-year deferral before payments begin, with terms up to 30 years. An additional 20% mitigation loan is available on top of verified physical losses.
Mason is reachable via WhatsApp at 240-782-1540 for general questions.
Verde said a FEMA disaster recovery center will be opening soon in coordination with CNMI leadership, but urged residents not to wait for it to open before applying. The center is for follow-up, turning in additional documents and resolving issues with existing applications.
To apply for FEMA individual assistance: call 1-800-621-3362 or (671) 735-1050, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, or use the FEMA app. To apply for SBA disaster loans: visit SBA.gov/disaster or call 1-800-659-2955. SBA phone hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
To reach the CNMI JIC state warning point for verified information: call 237-8000.
