By Ulysses Torres Sabuco
Variety News Staff

THE federal government has released a total of $2.5 million in various assistance to 2,139 individuals affected by supertyphoon Chaba, Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman John Treanor told Variety yesterday.
“This (the release) is very quick,” Treanor said in a phone interview.
The assistance were released to those individuals who tapped the 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) teleregistration number.
Fema also opened its Disaster Recovery Centers for Saipan last Friday, while Tinian and Rota opened last Sunday. The centers will cater to those who have language problems and have no telephones.
“(Rota and Tinian) disaster centers opened (Sunday) and there were a lot of people that came in,” Treanor said yesterday.
Of the $2.5 million, $1.7 million were released in housing assistance, which includes “lodging expenses reimbursement, rental assistance, home repair cash grant, home replacement cash grant and permanent housing construction in rare circumstances.”
$800,000 for “other needs” – or for those damages that do not fall under the housing assistance category – were separately released. These will pay for medical, dental, funeral, and transportation costs, and other disaster-related needs.
The release of the federal assistance is part of President Bush’s Aug. 28 federal disaster declaration for the CNMI, following heavy devastation caused by supertyphoon Chaba.
The declaration guarantees individual assistance up to $26,500 for each victim of Chaba.
There were over 2,000 homes destroyed, the local chapter of the American Red Cross separately reported.
The CNMI estimated that damage to both private and public properties were valued at $18 million, while Treanor said the Commonwealth stands to receive between “$12 and $15 million” in federal assistance.
Also as of yesterday, there were 1,038 individuals who visited the different recovery centers, with 941 are from Saipan, 81 from Tinian and 16 from Rota.
“The only way to get Fema assistance is to teleregister and these assistance we released were through the (Fema) teleregistration line,” he said. “Even the people who went to the center, they have to sit down and use the telephones that were set up (for such purpose).”
But Treanor clarified that the Fema assistance does not include the U.S. Small Business Administration loans.
However, it will be Fema that will determine if one can avail of an SBA loan, depending on the extent of damage incurred.
Fema has seven field inspectors who conducts an actual physical assessment of the damage properties reported by typhoon victims before the any assistance is released.