Making Repairs? Be Sure to Save All Receipts

Release Date: January 16, 2003 Release Number: 1446-28

» Super Typhoon Pongsona

Dededo, GUAM -- As the people of Guam start to rebuild their homes and businesses damaged by Super Typhoon Pongsona, FEMA and GovGuam officials emphasize the importance of keeping receipts of material bought or work paid for to restore their homes and businesses.

"Records are important for tax purposes, to document claims of damage and loss, and to show how federal money was spent in case of Inspector General audits," explained David Fukutomi, FEMA's federal coordinating officer in charge of the Guam recovery effort.

Whether people have applied for assistance or are still waiting to apply, receipts for any money spent to make their homes livable or businesses operable should be saved.

• Save the receipts of every purchase you made to make your house safe, sanitary and secure.
  
• When FEMA/SBA inspectors check the damage, receipts will help them properly determine your losses.
  
• Take photographs of damaged property before you replace it. Be sure to show these to the inspectors. It could simplify their paper work and speed up a response to your disaster aid application

People who have registered and have questions about the status of their applications can call FEMA's Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for speech- or hearing- impaired. This is also the teleregistration number for those who still need to apply for disaster assistance. The hours of operation for both are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guam time until further notice.

A local multilingual Helpline, 633-9820, is available for those who may need translators in Chamorro, Chuukese, or Tagalog. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Individuals and businesses that have suffered damages from Super Typhoon Pongsona have until February 18 to apply for assistance.