Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Typhoon Mangkhut
Incident Period: Sep 10, 2018 - Sep 11, 2018
Declaration Date: Sep 29, 2018
Quick Links
- Recovery resources: State & Local | National
- Connect: Social Media | Mobile App & Text
- 24/7 counseling: Disaster Distress Helpline
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More About This Disaster
Help for Individuals and Families After a Disaster
If you have insurance, you should file a claim with your insurance company immediately. FEMA assistance cannot help with losses already covered by insurance.
Apply for Disaster Assistance
The fastest way to apply is through DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply through the FEMA mobile app or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a video relay service, captioned telephone service, or other communication services, please provide FEMA the specific number assigned for that service.
Learn more about the application process
Get Immediate Help
Find help with needs that FEMA is not authorized to provide. Check with your local emergency management officials, voluntary agencies or by dialing your local 2-1-1. The FEMA Helpline (800-621-3362) may be able to provide additional referrals. If you use a video relay service, captioned telephone service, or other communication services, please provide FEMA the specific number assigned for that service.
I Was Told to Call the U.S. Small Business Administration
FEMA is not allowed to provide disaster assistance for certain losses covered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans. The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to individuals and households to help with disaster losses. FEMA works with the SBA to determine if you may qualify for Personal Property Assistance, Transportation Assistance, or a Group Flood Insurance Policy.
FEMA will automatically refer you to the SBA to be considered for a disaster loan if you meet SBA’s income standards. FEMA uses your household annual gross income and number of dependents to determine if you should be referred to the SBA.
If you are referred to the SBA, FEMA will contact you via an auto-dialer system to explain how to apply for a disaster loan. You must complete and return a loan application to be considered for an SBA loan or certain types of FEMA assistance. You do not have to accept an SBA loan offer. However, if you are approved for an SBA loan, and you do not accept it, you will not be referred back to FEMA for personal property or transportation assistance.
For more information about the SBA disaster loan program, please call the SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339). SBA information is also available at www.SBA.gov/disaster or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Learn more about SBA loans
I Applied for Assistance. What's Next?
If You Have Insurance
Please contact your insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim. FEMA can only provide money after you get your insurance settlement. If your insurance doesn’t cover all of your home repair or rebuilding expenses, FEMA may be able to help.
FEMA can’t provide money for expenses covered by insurance or duplicate benefits from another source. When you get your insurance settlement or denial, please send a copy to FEMA as soon as you can.
If your insurance settlement is delayed more than 30 days from the time you file your claim, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
Learn more about the steps after applying
If You Do Not Have Insurance
FEMA will verify your disaster-caused losses. The agency will schedule a time to inspect your home if you reported damage to your home or personal property. Or FEMA will ask you to send documents to verify your expenses.
You will receive notification letters from FEMA either by mail or electronic correspondence explaining your next steps. If necessary based on the losses you reported, an inspector will contact you by phone to schedule an inspection. If you miss the call, they will leave a voicemail message and make multiple attempts to reach you. The inspector should not need to view repair receipts or pictures of the damage. But if you begin cleaning up before the inspection, FEMA suggests you take pictures, make a list of your losses, and keep receipts for all of your disaster-caused expenses.
"Help After a Disaster" Brochures
Translated into 27 languages, the "Help After a Disaster" brochure is a tool that can be shared in your community to help people understand the types of FEMA assistance that may be available to support individuals and families in disaster recovery.
Citizenship and FEMA Eligibility
FEMA is committed to helping all eligible disaster survivors recover, including U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens. Learn more about Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for federal public benefits.
Find a Housing Counselor
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides support to a nationwide network of housing counseling agencies (HCAs) and certified counselors. HUD-participating HCAs are approved and trained to provide tools to current and prospective homeowners and renters so they can make responsible choices to address their housing needs in light of their financial situations.
Verifying Home Ownership or Occupancy
FEMA is required to verify you lived at the address in your application as your primary residence before providing most types of assistance. FEMA is also required to verify you owned your home before providing home repair or home replacement assistance. Learn more about this process.
As part of our effort to make the disaster assistance process quicker and reduce the burden on applicants, we try to verify occupancy and ownership by using an automated public records search.
If we cannot verify you lived in or owned the home that you listed on your application, we will ask you to provide documents to prove occupancy and/or ownership to help us determine if you are approved for assistance.
How Do I Appeal the Decision?
If you receive a letter stating that you are not approved for assistance or that your application is incomplete, you can still complete the application or appeal the decision within 60 days of receiving a decision letter. The letter would either be mailed to you or placed into your Disaster Assistance Center account, if you have set up an account.
Learn more about appeals
Frequently Asked Questions and Rumors
Learn more about common disaster-related rumors and how to report fraud. You can also get answers to frequently asked questions about emergency shelters, disaster assistance, flood insurance and more.
Multilingual Resources
You can find social media graphics with important safety messaging in various languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.
We also have videos in American Sign Language (ASL) on topics including:
Local Resources
Local Information
Local News & Media
Visit the News & Media page for events, fact sheets, press releases and other multimedia resources.
How to Apply
What to Bring with You
To ensure a faster, more efficient application process, obtain the following information PRIOR to heading to the nearest Disaster Assistance designated site:
- Social Security Number (one per household)
- Address of the damaged home or apartment
- Description of the damage
- Information about insurance coverage (ensure you obtain policy no. information)
- Telephone number
- Mailing address
- Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds
The Declaration includes both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance to help people and communities recover from Typhoon Mangkhut.
Individual Assistance is provided by FEMA directly to eligible individuals and families who have sustained losses due to disasters.
Details regarding Individual Assistance:
- Homeowners and renters on the islands of Rota, Saipan and Tinian who sustained damage to their primary homes, vehicles and personal property as a result of Typhoon Mangkhut may apply for disaster assistance.
- Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing to include rental and lodging expense, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, along with other serious disaster-related expenses.
- Disaster assistance grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, welfare assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.
- Low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) may be available for businesses of all sizes (including landlords), private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters. Low-interest disaster loans help fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. Economic Injury disaster loans are available to businesses and private nonprofits to assist with working capital needs as a direct result of the disaster.
- Federal assistance is geared towards residents who incurred uninsured losses specifically related to Typhoon Mangkhut. A home inspection is part of the eligibility process. Residents will be contacted shortly after registration to arrange home inspection appointments.
The *best* method to register for disaster assistance in the CNMI is by visiting your nearest Disaster Recovery Center to ensure accurate physical addresses are reflected in FEMA’s system.
In addition to providing opportunities to register for disaster assistance, DRCs provide a location for disaster survivors to check the status of their applications, to submit documentation and to speak with representatives from other agencies that assist in disaster recovery, such as the Small Business Administration.
News
- Disaster Recovery Centers to Open this Week
- CNMI GOVERNMENT AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IMPACTED BY TYPHOON MANGKHUT URGED TO APPLY FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTS
- PUBLIC NOTICE MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATION FEMA 4396–DR–MP
- FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR ELIGIBLE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS
- SBA NEWS RELEASE: SBA Disaster Assistance Available to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands
- CNMI’s Disaster Declaration Approved by White House; Federal Assistance Now Available for Eligible Residents and Business Owners
- FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
- President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for the Northern Mariana Islands
- SBA NEWS RELEASE: SBA Stands Ready to Assist Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Businesses and Residents Affected by Typhoon Mangkhut
How to Help
Volunteer and Donate
Recovery can take many years after a disaster. There are many ways to help such as donating cash, needed items or your time. Learn more about how to help those in need.
Don’t self-deploy to disaster areas. Trusted organizations in the affected areas know where volunteers are needed. Work with an established organization to make sure you have the appropriate safety, training and skills needed to respond.
FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) build relationships and coordinate efforts with voluntary, faith-based and community organizations active in disasters.
Doing Business with FEMA
If you are interested in providing paid services and goods for disaster relief, visit our Doing Business with FEMA page to get started.
If you own a business involved with debris removal and want to work on clean-up efforts in affected areas, please contact the local government in affected areas to offer your services.
Funding Obligations
| Individual Assistance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Housing Assistance (HA) - Dollars Approved | $628,323.13 |
| Total Other Needs Assistance (ONA) - Dollars Approved | $383,226.57 |
| Total Individual & Households Program Dollars Approved | $1,011,549.70 |
| Individual Assistance Applications Approved | 395 |
| Public Assistance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Emergency Work (Categories A-B) - Dollars Obligated | $888,204.12 |
| Permanent Work (Categories C-G) - Dollars Obligated | $4,174,999.00 |
| Total Public Assistance Grants Dollars Obligated | $5,656,856.10 |