Lou Leon Guerrero and Joshua Tenorio are asking the head of the federal agency that doles out typhoon damage relief to allow Guam residents who are citizens of the Freely Associated States to apply for and receive Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance for damages they sustained from Typhoon Mawar.
The governor and lieutenant governor’s request to FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell comes on the heels of the President’s March 8 signing of the federal budget, which included the Compact Impact Fairness Act as a rider.
That law, according to the governor’s office, “expands the eligibility of citizens of the Freely Associated States lawfully residing in the United States for federal public benefits.”
Prior to this law, FEMA was without authority to allow FAS citizens living in the U.S. and its territories to apply for and receive Mawar relief. The former prohibition left hundreds of households devastated, as their partially- or fully damaged properties could not be repaired or damages reimbursed because of the citizenship status of the COFA citizen Guam residents.
COFA stands for Compacts of Free Association, which refer to the treaties between the United States and the Freely Associated States. Those FAS include the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Earlier this month FEMA allowed COFA citizens who suffered from the Maui wildfires to apply for and receive aid from the agency.
According to the governor’s office in a news release, “The letter from Governor Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Tenorio requests that Guam receive the same treatment with respect to FEMA’s response to Typhoon Mawar, which poses similar coverage issues.”
“Due to the circumstances caused by Typhoon Mawar and the statutory changes in eligibility criteria during the disaster period, we have asked FEMA to use all available options to reopen the Individuals and Households Program enrollment in order to extend it to include COFA citizens,” Ms. Leon Guerrero said.
Mr. Tenorio said, “For years, COFA citizens in the U.S. have been denied access to programs that their tax dollars help fund, even though they are lawful residents who pay taxes. To ensure everyone receives recovery assistance, Gov. Leon Guerrero and I have asked FEMA to provide an equal opportunity to recover from Typhoon Mawar, especially in light of the passage of legislation that expands their eligibility for federal public benefits.”
