{"id":58173,"date":"2017-11-07T20:19:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T20:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=58173"},"modified":"2017-11-07T20:19:52","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T20:19:52","slug":"new-or-extended-federal-programs-available-to-help-virgin-island-hurricane-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=58173","title":{"rendered":"New Or Extended Federal Programs Available To Help Virgin Island Hurricane Survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">ST. CROIX &#8212; Several new or extended federal programs are available to help eligible Virgin Islanders recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\">FEMA and its federal partners continue to support efforts by the U.S. Virgin Islands territorial government to help get hurricane survivors on the road to recovery. Survivors should be aware of these programs:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Food Assistance:<\/strong>\u00a0Eligible survivors across the territory can begin applying for food aid under the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Because of the unique needs of disaster survivors, D-SNAP uses different standards than the normal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). Those who would not normally qualify for SNAP, may qualify for D-SNAP.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Virgin Islanders who have SNAP benefits will not need to register in order to receive this assistance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The Virgin Islands Department of Human Services is accepting D-SNAP applications at all of its application sites on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The application period is Monday through Thursday,\u00a0<strong class=\"\">November 6-9<\/strong>, and Monday through Wednesday,\u00a0<strong class=\"\">November 13-15<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Help with Medicines:\u00a0<\/strong>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is making the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) available for uninsured survivors to ensure they have access to medicines and medical equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The free program provides a 30-day supply of covered drugs and medical supplies that can be renewed every 30 days for as long as the program is active.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">U.S. Virgin Islanders who do not have any form of prescription insurance should call the EPAP enrollment toll-free hotline at\u00a0<strong class=\"\">855-793-7470<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Disaster Unemployment Aid:\u00a0<\/strong>The deadline to register for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has been extended until\u00a0<strong class=\"\">December 29\u00a0<\/strong>for survivors who lost jobs as a result of Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Labor is assisting applicants at its locations on St. Croix and St. Thomas and at the St. John Annex of the USVI Legislature.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Temporary Roof Repairs:<\/strong>\u00a0Operation Blue Roof is carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with FEMA and the U.S. Virgin Islands government to provide homeowners affected by the hurricanes with fiber-reinforced blue plastic sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until permanent repairs can be made.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The deadline to apply for the Operation Blue Roof program has been extended until\u00a0<strong class=\"\">November 23<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Homeowners must sign a right of entry (ROE) form with USACE, and not all roof types qualify for the program.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">For more information or to locate an ROE Center across the territory, survivors may call\u00a0<strong class=\"\">888-ROOF-BLU<\/strong>\u00a0(766-3258).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">FEMA Individual Assistance:\u00a0<\/strong>Hurricane survivors now have until\u00a0<strong class=\"\">December 18<\/strong>\u00a0to register with FEMA for potential recovery aid under the Individual Assistance (IA) program, as FEMA has granted the territorial government\u2019s request to extend the registration deadlines for the two hurricanes and make them the same for both disasters.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Survivors may register with FEMA for assistance at\u00a0<a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/fema.pr-optout.com\/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d936%2f%3f%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MO&amp;RI=1731304&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=36190&amp;Action=Follow+Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u class=\"\">DisasterAssistance.gov<\/u><\/a>, or by calling\u00a0<strong class=\"\">800-621-3362<\/strong>. Individuals who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) may call 800-621-3362.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">These toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time) seven days a week. Operators are standing by to assist survivors in multiple languages.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Disaster Loans:<\/strong>\u00a0The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has extended its deadline to\u00a0<strong class=\"\">December 18<\/strong>\u00a0for homeowners, renters and business owners to apply for low-interest disaster loans for hurricanes Irma and Maria.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 from SBA to repair or replace their primary residence. Homeowners and renters may borrow up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property. Businesses may borrow up to $2 million for any combination of property damage or economic injury.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Applicants may apply online using SBA\u2019s secure website at\u00a0<a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/fema.pr-optout.com\/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d936%2f%3f%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MO&amp;RI=1731304&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=36189&amp;Action=Follow+Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u class=\"\">https:\/\/disasterloan.sba.gov\/ela<\/u><\/a>. Additional disaster assistance information is available at\u00a0<a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/fema.pr-optout.com\/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d936%2f%3f%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MO&amp;RI=1731304&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=36188&amp;Action=Follow+Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u class=\"\">www.sba.gov\/disaster-assistance<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Applicants may call SBA\u2019s Customer Service Center at\u00a0<strong class=\"\">800-659-2955<\/strong>\u00a0or email\u00a0<a class=\"\" href=\"mailto:disastercustomerservice@sba.gov\"><u class=\"\">disastercustomerservice@sba.gov<\/u><\/a>\u00a0for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call\u00a0<strong class=\"\">800-877-8339<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\"><span class=\"\"><strong class=\"\">Rental Repairs:\u00a0<\/strong>To help disaster survivors find a safe and secure temporary place to live, FEMA\u2019s Multi-Family Lease and Repair (MLR) program is calling on owners of multi-family dwellings that are in need of repairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The program provides funds to make rental units habitable again, and at the same time helps survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">To qualify for the program, the dwelling must have three or more units and it must have been previously used as rental property. Other criteria also apply.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">The needed repairs or improvements do not have to be hurricane- or flood-related.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><span class=\"\">Property owners interested in having their rental property considered should contact the Multi-Family Lease and Repair Program by email at\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"\"><a class=\"\" href=\"mailto:FEMA-USVI-MLR@fema.dhs.gov\"><u class=\"\">FEMA-USVI-MLR@fema.dhs.gov<\/u><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ST. CROIX &#8212; Several new or extended federal programs are available to help eligible Virgin Islanders recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today.\u00a0 FEMA and its federal partners continue to support efforts by the U.S. Virgin Islands territorial government to help get hurricane survivors on the road to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":56566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7429,191,147],"tags":[7582,2788],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New Or Extended Federal Programs Available To Help Virgin Island Hurricane Survivors - V.I. 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