DISASTER AID AVAILABLE FOR U.S. CITIZENS, NON-CITIZEN NATIONALS,
QUALIFIED RESIDENTS
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/disaster-aid-available-us-citizens-non-citizen-nationals-qualified-residents]


Release Date: 
August 1, 2019 

AUSTIN, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is
committed to helping all eligible disaster survivors recover from the
recent Texas flooding and sever storms, including U.S. citizens,
non-citizen nationals and qualified residents.

Understand What’s Required to Register for FEMA Assistance

To register for FEMA’s Individual or Household Programs, applicants
must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national and qualified resident to
be eligible for monetary disaster assistance. However, undocumented
families with diverse immigration status only need one family member
(including minor children) who is a citizen and has a social security
number to apply. The minor child must live with the parent/guardian
applying on his/her behalf.

Disaster survivors will be asked to sign the Declaration and Release
Form stating that they are among the qualified applicants. If an
individual is not able to sign the Declaration and Release Form but
have a minor child who is a U.S. citizen or a qualified resident
residing within their household, they can still apply for assistance
on the child’s behalf and no information regarding their status will
be gathered.

The status of a qualified resident includes:

• Legal permanent residents (those with Green Cards)

• Those with refugee or asylum status

• Those whose deportation has been withheld

• Those on parole in the U.S. for at least one year for humanitarian
purposes

• Those with conditional entry

• Those who are Cuban-Haitian entrants

• Those with petitions for relief based on battery or extreme
cruelty by a family member

Additional Assistance May Be Available Regardless of Citizenship
Status

Other Individual Assistance programs such as Crisis Counseling,
Disaster Legal Services and other short-term, non-cash emergency
assistance are available to an individual or family regardless of
citizenship status. Additionally, voluntary agencies provide help
regardless of citizenship/immigration status.

All individuals, regardless of citizenship status, affected by a major
disaster may be eligible for other non-monetary, in-kind emergency
disaster relief programs. These include medical care, shelter, food

and water. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for FEMA cash
assistance or Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

Individuals who don’t qualify for monetary assistance may still call
the FEMA registration line for referrals to voluntary agencies.
Undocumented immigrants from households in which no one is eligible
for cash assistance from FEMA may also still be eligible for programs
run by the state, local or voluntary agencies.

Assistance for eligible individuals and small businesses includes
funds for temporary housing and necessary home repairs, individual and
household grants, disaster unemployment assistance, low-interest
disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and other
programs.