TRANSCRIPT:    Texas - Volunteers Helping the Community After Ike     

FEMA���s Volunteers Helping in the Community Program, under FEMA Community Relations, has a unique mission to assist disaster victims with the multi-faceted assistance application process. FEMA���s Michel Desrosiers heads the program and spoke with FEMA's Don Jacks on how FEMA reaches out to ease what is often described as a difficult process to receive disaster assistance and how FEMA learns about those in need of help.

DATE:		       	February 02, 2009

LENGTH:		1 minute, 58 seconds

PARTICIPANTS:		Michael Desrosiers, FEMA

			Don Jacks, FEMA

			
ABBREVIATIONS:	[U/I] = Unintelligible
      			[PH] = Phonetic Spelling				


	Speaker					Transcription
	
Don Jacks: 	A federal disaster declaration makes grants and loans available to qualified applicants.  FEMA understands the assistance process can be challenging, and has teams of disaster workers helping wherever possible.  Here���s FEMA���s Michael Desrosiers���

Michael Desrosiers	Basically the mission of the Volunteers Helping in Community Program is to reach out to those individuals in the community who are unable to access the Disaster Recovery Centers or have problems with language or literacy.  We reach out to those individuals who have problems getting past the application process and having problems with getting the assistance that they need or are otherwise eligible for���

Don Jacks:	I asked Michael how disaster victims in need of help find out about the Volunteers Helping the Community Program���.








Michael Desrosiers	As CR we will reach out to faith-based organizations, community organizations and just people in the community who are looked upon as leaders, who want to learn about the FEMA process, and they in turn teach people in their community and help people get through the application process.  That is very instrumental, not just helping the applicant per se but also helping us (as FEMA) better assist those who have been impacted.  There is more to it than just a phone number or a website.  We are able to meet with these individuals face to face & ���put a face on FEMA��� so that they are not dealing with just a phone number or their application number or registration number.  We can identify with them and they can see that, especially with our translators���we are able to have someone that they can touch bases with, and identify with.  We���re able to bring that to them as well.

Don Jacks:	More than 730,000 Texas residents have applied for FEMA assistance due to Hurricane Ike.  Many have used the Agency���s Volunteers Helping in the Community Program.  It���s a big job, and FEMA is up to the task.  

	For FEMA���s New Media, I���m Don Jacks.