TRANSCRIPT:  	          FEMA Help Comes in Many Languages

DATE:		       	January 30, 2009

LENGTH:		2 minutes, 28 seconds

PARTICIPANTS:		Don Jacks, FEMA  

			Michael Lewis, DRC Manager

			Nick Ho, FEMA Vietnamese translator

			Nha, a Vietnamese woman
      
				
				
ABBREVIATIONS:	[U/I] = Unintelligible
      			[PH] = Phonetic Spelling				


	Speaker					Transcription
	
Don Jacks: 	Vietnamese spoken here���says the sign ��� in Vietnamese ��� in a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Houston, TX where Hurricane Ike disaster victims come to speak to someone who speaks THEIR language..

FEMA worker Michael Lewis manages the Bellaire Ave. FEMA Recovery Center in the heart of Houston���s Asian Community��������� 

Michael Lewis: 	This center has got a number of different cultures that are involved in here: the Vietnamese, the Chinese, Spanish speaking as well as English. We probably have 50 percent or more of them have language issues. We have a good center here. We have the CR���the Community Relations staff here that can provide the translations so that we can provide equal access to all applicants.


Don Jacks:	Houston has the largest Vietnamese-American population in Texas���.and FEMA bilingual specialists translate disaster assistance information daily ��� more than 3,600 Vietnamese translations since Hurricane Ike hit last Sept.

FEMA Community Relations Disaster worker Nick Ho leads a team of five Vietnamese translators���..

Nick Ho:	Our role is to support the Asian community by arming with translations especially with the translation that they have because they do not understand English at all. It is a language barrier that is causing them from getting any help. So what our job has been lately is going to the community and talking to all the organizations here which we have the Boat People SOS organization, the Help Look organization, the VCSA which is the Vietnamese Culture and Signs organization,  and also the Vietnamese Houston community organization. We work along with them to help them by explaining the FEMA process, guide them to help out the community if when we are no longer there or not there at the time��� they know what to do in helping the community out by filling out the paperwork and answering any questions that they have.


Don Jacks:	FEMA understands its responsibility to the American people to speak the language of disaster assistance, whatever language that maybe���.

Nha:			Speaking in Vietnamese��� 

Don Jacks:	Vietnamese is just one of more than 90 languages spoken in the Houston area.  FEMA���s translation teams are there when needed���������.

Nha:	My husband is a fisherman. I go past here and I see the sign I come here and I hope you can do something for me.


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