So far, 85 paperless applicants have been approved to receive the city and state’s joint emergency aid; an additional 33,000 survivors have been approved for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program per November 21st. Both relief programs are set to close on December 6th.
Michael Appleton / Mayor Photo Office
Ida aftermath in Queens.
The first night in September, the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded the city’s streets, basements and subways, killing 13 New Yorkers. Tenants in lower or classrooms carried the majority of the floods, which disproportionately affected low-income and immigrant communities throughout the city, even though they were concentrated in the outer districts.
On September 26, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the creation of an emergency relief program for the estimated 5,100 undocumented immigrants affected by Ida. Men pr. On 24 November, only 32 applicants received the grant; another 53 have been approved and are awaiting payment, the governor’s office reports. The fund is scheduled to close for new applicants on Monday.
The $ 27 million emergency aid program was created for undocumented New York State residents or families without U.S.-born children and therefore did not qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The New York State Office of New Americans (ONA) oversees the program, and eight community-based organizations (CBOs) are responsible for both the application process and the distribution of funds.
To estimate the impact of the storm on the homes of undocumented immigrants, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) used the number of undocumented households in the city as a starting point, as households with only the undocumented are not eligible for FEMA relief. “Based on data from the New York City Office of Emergency Management and CBO partners, we estimate that 5,100 people have been affected by Hurricane Ida and are not eligible for FEMA assistance,” MOIA said via email.
To apply for assistance, immigrants can visit the participating CBO sites directly and submit an application to be eligible for up to $ 72,000 in grants in two categories: $ 36,000 for housing assistance and up to $ 36,000 for additional funds. ONA encouraged applicants to call their hotline (at 1-800-566-7636) for guidance on the necessary documentation. So far, ONA reports that 1,615 people have called the hotline or joined the organizations to apply.
There were 352 initial applications, while 474 households “have been deemed eligible for FEMA and referred accordingly,” the governor’s office wrote.
The fund has distributed $ 146,469 to the 32 eligible households so far, and $ 191,399 has been approved – even though it is awaiting payment – for a further 53 applicants. Much of the assistance, $ 144,009 of it, has gone to alleviate what the program considers “other needs assistance” expenses, which cover things like vehicle damage, moving costs, child care, and other assistance separate from direct housing needs.
ONA’s hotline does not track the most commonly used languages among applicants or the zip codes they apply from, but based on what CBOs have reported, Spanish and Chinese are the most common. According to NBC News, almost all of the storm’s basement deaths were among Asian residents.
However, both FEMA and ONA track applications by county, and both agencies say most come from Queens, where 55.6 percent of the undocumented population is Hispanic and 29.8 percent are Asian, according to the Center for Migration Studies.
A total of 85 undocumented applicants have been approved to receive the city and state’s joint emergency aid, while 33,000 New Yorkers have been approved for FEMA’s individual assistance program per year. November 21st. And there could be thousands more, FEMA explains, as the agency has received more than 80,000 valid registrations.
“Although our records show that more than 21,000 cases have not been approved for assistance, this number may vary when survivors submit the necessary documents on appeal,” a FEMA spokesman wrote.
The payments totaled more than $ 157.2 million in approved assistance to New Yorkers through FEMA per. Nov. 21, and an additional $ 337,868 has been approved to help undocumented survivors per. November 24.
The destruction of Ida prompted calls for the city and state to better consolidate its storm protection measures; Ida’s devastation was mainly caused by intense rainfall and lightning flooding that overwhelmed the city’s sewer systems, a departure from the coastal floods seen during previous extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy.
It also brought renewed attention to the situation of tenants in basement apartments across the city, many of whom are illegal conversions rented by low-income residents, often immigrants. While New Yorkers can consult flood maps showing the likelihood of flooding at a block-by-block level, there is no easy way to check the flood history of a particular building, allowing potential tenants or buyers to determine the risk.
On November 5, the mayor released “The New Normal: Combatting Storm-Related Extreme Weather in New York City,” a report aimed at helping the city “prepare for and respond to extreme weather,” according to a press release. But there is not much information for undocumented residents, though the report acknowledges how Ida disproportionately affected low-income and immigrant communities.
If not extended, both FEMA’s and ONA’s programs are set to close for applicants on December 6, although applications submitted by this date will continue to be processed by caseworkers and payments will continue to be made after that date.
Asked if the program would be extended, the governor’s office said only that they were working to determine the possibility of extending the program beyond its deadline.
Post a Comment