The Department of the Interior has approved $250,000 to aid Governor Eddie Calvo and recovery personnel in their efforts to help the estimated 300 individuals left misplaced or homeless following Typhoon Dolphin. Governor's spokesperson Julius Santos told KUAM News, "Particularly the funding will be used to help the shelterees that of course, after Typhoon Dolphin, help them get commodities like food, shelter, things of that nature."

The funding will provide items such as tents, generators, portable cooling units, toiletries, first aid kits, and food, and is especially helpful to residents of the Freely Associated States. "As they are not US citizens, any emergency funding that we may receive from FEMA cannot be used to assist them," Santos continued. "This money that was granted to us from the Department of the Interior will be very helpful."

Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Esther Kia'aina, stated, "The recent circumstances of typhoon dolphin raise an important federal matter pertaining to the issue of compact impact aid and the applicability or non-applicability of federal assistance for citizens of the Freely Associated States living in the United States."

But it has yet to be determined whether any Guam residents will qualify for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, although Governor Calvo has issued a disaster emergency declaration for the island. "Government of Guam damage assessments have been completed as of last weekend, which means Governor Calvo can now make a formal request for a presidential declaration of emergency," said Santos.

The federal declaration is needed for FEMA funding to become available to Guam residents. "Now what's going to happen is the governor has until June 15 to submit the findings of the assessment to FEMA Region IX, and then from FEMA Region IX, whether they be for individual assistance or public assistance, we're not sure just yet, but from Region IX they'll submit it to FEMA headquarters, and then from FEMA's headquarters they will submit the request to President Obama," the spokesman said.

Once the request is made it will be out of Governor Calvo's hands, and should it be denied he would have 30 days to make an appeal.