A week after Hurricane Ian ravaged entire communities across Southwest Florida, people of all backgrounds are trying to put their lives back together by throwing away water-damaged furniture, removing mold-infested walls and finding a place to get a hot shower for the first time in a while.
But even though many are displaced, not everyone is facing the same challenges. Some lost loved ones, others no longer have a place to live, and quite a few desperately need help to get back on their feet.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said earlier this week that it’s “committed to helping all eligible disaster survivors recover from Hurricane Ian” — including noncitizen nationals and “qualified aliens.”
Disaster survivors in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia counties may apply for FEMA subsidies.
You or a member of your household must be a U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or a “qualified alien” in order to get help from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, the agency said Tuesday. IHP provides financial and direct services to eligible people and households whose insurance will not cover all “necessary expenses and serious needs.”
Here’s who can apply.
Who is a ‘qualified alien’?
A “qualified alien” includes:
▪ A legal permanent resident (“green card” holder).
▪ An asylee, refugee or an undocumented immigrant whose deportation is being withheld.
▪ An undocumented immigrant paroled into the U.S. for at least one year.
▪ An undocumented immigrant granted conditional entry (per law in effect prior to April 1, 1980).
▪ A Cuban or Haitian entrant.
▪ Certain undocumented immigrants subjected to extreme cruelty or who have been a victim of a severe form of human trafficking, including persons with a “T” or “U” visa.
▪ Undocumented immigrants whose children have been abused and undocumented children whose parent has been abused who fit certain criteria.
Who is a noncitizen national?
A noncitizen national is a person born in an “outlying possession of the U.S.” like American Samoa on or after the date the U.S. acquired it, or a person whose parents are U.S. noncitizen nationals (all U.S. citizens are U.S. nationals; however, not every U.S. national is a U.S. citizen).
What if I don’t qualify for either?
If you do not meet the status of either U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or qualified alien, FEMA says, your household may still apply for and be considered for IHP assistance if:
▪ Another adult member of your household meets the eligibility criteria and certifies their citizenship status during the registration process or signs the Declaration and Release form, or
▪ The parent or guardian of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or a “qualified alien” applies for assistance on behalf of the child, if they live in the same household. The parent or legal guardian must register as the co-applicant, and the minor child must be under age 18 at the time the disaster occurred.
For more information
To learn more about citizenship and immigration status requirements for federal public benefits, visit fema.gov/assistance/individual/program/citizenship-immigration-status. Information is available in different languages, including Spanish, Haitian Creole and others.
If you’re unsure of your immigration status, FEMA says you should talk to an immigration expert to know if your status allows you to get FEMA disaster assistance. To learn about voluntary organizations that help disaster survivors, visit nvoad.org.
How to apply for FEMA assistance
If you are eligible, there are three ways to apply for FEMA disaster assistance:
▪ Visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
▪ Download the “FEMA App” for mobile devices.
▪ Call toll-free 800-621-3362 (FEMA).
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