Super Typhoon Bavi assistance for Guam and its residents is now available following President Donald Trump's Oct. 7 approval of a major disaster declaration request submitted by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in August.
FEMA-4946-DR makes federal assistance available, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses experienced by individuals and business owners recovering from Bavi.
“Federal funding is also available to territorial and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Super Typhoon Bavi,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Those who wish to apply for federal assistance should first file a claim through their insurance provider and then apply for assistance through FEMA. In July, residents may have reported damage to their mayors, and FEMA and GovGuam teams visited homes to conduct preliminary assessments. The July damage report is not an application for assistance.
Guam residents can apply in three ways: online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling the local toll-free line at 671-735-1050, by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA app.
“If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, provide FEMA the number for that service,” FEMA said. “Teresa Y. Serata has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.”
The application takes about 20 minutes to complete. Applicants should have the following information available:
Social Security number, one per household
A phone number where FEMA can reach the applicant
Household annual income before taxes
Description of the damage and photos, if available
Address of the damaged home and temporary living arrangements
Insurance information — homeowners, renters or flood insurance — and claim number
Bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit, if selected
Applying for FEMA assistance is free.
During the storm and recovery, a number of island residents turned to GuamAlertHub, a year-round public information and community reporting platform that tracks outages, weather, traffic closures and storm damage. The site reported 294 entries by Guam residents during Bavi and the recovery period from July 5 to Aug. 12.
The website not only tracks reports from the community but also provides information on applying for FEMA assistance, including a direct link to the online application through DisasterAssistance.gov. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Dec. 7.