If a hurricane, tsunami or earthquake strikes, causing the Virgin Islands enough damage to be declared a disaster area, there are grants, loans, disaster-related unemployment compensation, disaster Food Stamps and other resources to help affected residents pick themselves up in the aftermath.
As summer edges into the most dangerous part of hurricane season, federal and local officials have been holding town halls around the territory, talking about the many components of disaster response, from shelters run by the American Red Cross to Small Business Administration loans to pay for emergency hotel and apartment rentals.
A declaration of a disaster area triggers emergency federal assistance, explained Idamis De Jesus-Individual, assistance program specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A combination of federal and local officials goes through the island assessing the damage and submitting the information to FEMA, she said.
"FEMA then forwards it for a presidential decision," she said. Once the president’s decision goes down then FEMA begins to funnel in disaster funding and assistance, she said. If there is advance notice, as in Hurricane Katrina, FEMA will set up in advance, pre-placing materials and working to get people into the system.
There are two tiers of disaster declaration, depending on the damage. After last fall’s Hurricane Omar, St. Croix was declared a disaster area, but assistance was limited primarily to government agencies for roads, repairs to buildings and the like, she said. If damage had been much worse, more like Hurricane Hugo, which devastated the big island in 1989, there would have been individual assistance too.
"How much damage does it take to get to the individual level?" asked Human Service Commissioner Chris Finch.
"I can’t give a precise figure," Jesus-Individual said. "It depends on the needs of the particular community at that time."
Should a major disaster occur and residents are left seeking alternative shelter for weeks or months, many of the emergency expenses can be reimbursed by FEMA.
"If your home is dangerous and you are staying in a hotel, there is a possibility of being reimbursed once you submit your application," she said.
Apartment rent, replacing ruined sofas, transportation costs, even medical and funeral costs may be eligible for some re-imbursement if you can show the costs were a direct result of the storm or other disaster, she said.
“For instance, if you were walking through the streets by your house after a storm and got a nail in your foot, if you didn’t have insurance you could potentially make a claim if you can show it was disaster related," she said.
If your house is badly damaged and you are eligible, FEMA can fund up to $33,300 per household in grants that do not have to be repaid for home repair, she said.
Should a disaster be declared, you can apply for assistance directly through the FEMA website www.fema.org or their toll-free number: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
A disaster declaration allows the Small Business Administration greater freedom to give low-interest loans, said German Hernandez, an SBA attorney.
"Once the president makes a declaration … we can do loans up to $14,000 with a handshake," Hernandez said. "Any more than that and we have to look more closely at collateral and capacity to repay, but we will not turn down a loan solely because of insufficient collateral."
SBA’s goal after a disaster is not profit but to help individuals and help the economy very quickly, he said. Even if there is no disaster declaration, SBA still has an array of low-interest loans it can offer to help with expenses during the emergency.
"To help the economy fast, we need to put that money quickly into the community," he said.
While SBA representative will be on the ground in the aftermath of a hurricane, information on how to apply for SBA Disaster Assistance loans is also available at the FEMA website, he said.
About 25 people came out to the St. Croix Educational Complex Thursday evening for the emergency preparedness town meeting. The talk covered a wide array of emergency preparedness subjects in great detail, hammering home oft-repeated advice to stock up on food, medicines, water and necessities, and to plan for your family’s safety. See related links above for more storm preparedness information.
