Joint Information Center - JIC Recovery Release No. 26

June 2, 2023, 10:50 a.m. (ChST) JRR0602#26

Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams to go Door-to-Door; USDA Offers Disaster Assistance

Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams to go Door-to-Door:
Guam residents will start seeing FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) crews in neighborhoods today to help Typhoon Mawar survivors apply for federal disaster assistance and to identify needs within communities.
DSA crews primarily focus on helping underrepresented populations that may be hard to reach by traditional channels. Their mission is to assess, and report critical and emerging disaster needs to FEMA leadership for decision-making purposes. Their essential duties include:
Provide on-site guidance to survivors about the application process, and an overview of FEMA disaster assistance.
Review survivors’ applications, providing basic information about application status and other eligible assistance, and collecting new information or documents for case files.
Engage disaster survivors and local officials in identifying immediate unmet needs for a quick resolution via FEMA and/or its partners including voluntary agencies.
Support community outreach and partnerships with the local, state, tribal or territorial emergency managers, disability partners, private sector, voluntary agencies and faith- and community-based organizations to foster a culture of strengthened alliances to support the delivery of inclusive, equitable services to survivors.

USDA Offers Disaster Assistance:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering several programs to help agricultural producers.

Risk Management

For producers who have risk protection through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), USDA recommends reporting crop damage to the local Guam Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Those with NAP coverage can file a Notice of Loss (Form CCC-576) within 15 days of loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.

Disaster Assistance

USDA also offers disaster assistance programs, for livestock, fruit and vegetable, specialty and perennial crop producers. First, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) reimburses producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals that died as a result of a qualifying natural disaster event or for loss of grazing acres, feed and forage. The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) also provides cost share assistance to rehabilitate and replant tree, vines or shrubs loss experienced by orchards and nurseries. For LIP and ELAP, producers will need to file a Notice of Loss for livestock and grazing or feed losses within 30 days and honeybee losses within 15 days. For TAP, individuals will need to file a program application within 90 days.

Documentation

It is critical to keep accurate records to document all losses following this devastating typhoon event. Crop producers are advised to prepare acreage and production data which include, but are not limited to; type of crops, planting dates, farm acreage, and production data. Livestock producers are advised to document beginning livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures prior to and after the loss.

Other common documentation options include:

Production records
Vaccination records
Bank or other loan documents
Third-party certification

Other Programs

The Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland or forests. Additionally, FSA offers a variety of loans available including emergency loans that are triggered by disaster declarations and operating loans that can assist producers with credit needs. You can use these loans to replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, or refinance farm-related debts, and other needs.

Meanwhile, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes.

Additional Resources

Additional details – including payment calculations – can be found on USDA’s NAP, ELAP, LIP, and TAP fact sheets. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local Guam FSA Office at 671-300-8550 or 671-300-8551.

Visit the following links for the latest advisory information:

GHS/OCD Website: https://ghs.guam.gov/
GHS/OCD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GHSOCD/
JRM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jrmguam

For more information, contact the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.