CAGUAS, Puerto Rico – At the request of the Government of Puerto Rico, FEMA has approved the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program which provides eligible earthquake survivors hotel or motel lodging within Puerto Rico, paid for by FEMA.
Guánica, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, San Germán and Yauco residents may qualify. Applicants with homes that were damaged in the Dec. 28, 2019, earthquakes and continuing aftershocks will be notified of their eligibility by a FEMA representative.
FEMA will identify places for the applicants to stay on the island. Approved applicants will work with specialists from the Transitional Sheltering program to determine the specific lodging to best meet their needs.
The program pays the cost of room and taxes directly to participating hotels and motels. Incidental expenses including laundry, room service, parking, telephone, food, pet-related deposits and transportation are the responsibility of the approved applicant. The initial period for Transitional Sheltering Assistance is 45 days.
To receive Transitional Sheltering Assistance, applicants must live in one of the six designated municipalities and:
- be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien.
- complete a valid registration with FEMA for disaster assistance.
- pass identity and occupancy verification.
- have a FEMA housing assessment that verifies the residence is uninhabitable and requires repair as a result of the disaster.
- not be insured for the cause of damage or have insufficient coverage to meet temporary housing needs.
- be willing to relocate while repairs are underway.
For more information on Puerto Rico’s disaster recovery, visit the Government of Puerto Rico, www.fema.gov/disaster/4473, www.twitter.com/femaregion2 and Facebook: www.facebook.com/femapuertorico.
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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or 711 for Video Relay Service. Multilingual operators are available. (Press 2 for Spanish.) TTY call 800-462-7585.
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