有关家庭灾害援助的常见问题解答

我的房屋在自然灾害中受损：我需要帮助。我可以向谁请求帮助？

Answer: If you have immediate needs for food, clothing, and/or housing call the American Red Cross. Second, contact your insurance agent to determine what damages they will cover. 第三，如果您没有资金修缮房屋，请与您当地的银行联系，以便安排贷款事宜。

我没有保险，也供不起贷款，我能够得到政府的帮助么？

Answer: Sorry, the state will not be able to pay for your losses. Washington State’s Constitution says: “The credit of the state shall not, in any manner be given or loaned to, or in aid of, any individual, association, company, or corporation.” Essentially this means that state taxpayer dollars cannot be spent to help an individual with disaster related losses.

如果州政府不能帮助我，那么我可以从FEMA获得帮助吗？

答：您无法从FEMA获得帮助：至少要等到州长请求联邦政府帮助，并且总统宣布您所居住的州、县为重灾区才可以。

当您提到灾害时，您要确切表述的意思是什么？

答：术语‘灾害’对不同的人代表了不同的意义。如果您的房屋遭受损坏，而您又没有保险可以理赔，那么这对于您来说将是一场灾难。不过，联邦法律所定义的灾害含意更加广泛。为了得到联邦援助，损坏必须非常严重，且分布范围广，影响的居民人数众多。尽管您房屋的受淹程度非常严重，但不符合联邦灾害的标准。 A disaster as defined by the federal government occurs when hundreds of homes are destroyed or have sustained major damage.

好的，怎样能使总统宣布受灾地区，以便使我获得FEMA援助？

答：州长是唯一可以请求总统作出重大灾害声明的人。 But first, the Governor’s request must include damage reports from counties affected by the disaster that clearly shows there have been “significant damages.” Generally speaking, the number of homes that have been destroyed or with major damage must be in the hundreds for the disaster to be considered “significant.”

Your part in this process is to report your damages (even if they are insured) to your local jurisdiction’s emergency manager so they can be combined with other reports and forwarded to the state for analysis. Until you and your neighbors report your damages, nothing is going to happen.

我按照要求向市/县汇报了我的受损情况，但为什么我们没有获得FEMA援助？

Answer: There are three possible reasons. First, the county you live in may not have met the criteria to qualify for federal assistance and thus the Governor did not submit a request to the President. 其次，您所居住的市/县的受损数量可能未达到联邦政府规定的灾害标准，因此总统拒绝了州政府的请求。第三，联邦政府仍未决定是否要给予援助。 When a disaster request is denied or declared, it generally appears in news.

如果我们不符合FEMA援助的要求，或者总统拒绝了州长的请求，那么我们还可以从其它途径获得援助么？

Answer: Yes there is. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can declare a disaster, at the request of the Governor. If that happens, SBA can provide disaster loans to homeowners, renters, and small businesses much the way they would do if the President declared a major disaster. However, to qualify for this program the Governor must be able to clearly show that 25 homes and or businesses, in any county or political subdivision, have uninsured losses exceeding 40 percent of the estimated fair replacement value or pre-disaster fair market value, whichever is lower. The state often does not meet this threshold because most property owners have insurance coverage.

Again, until you and your neighbors call your local jurisdiction emergency manager and report your damages so they can compile and report it to the state for analysis, nothing is going to happen. SBA贷款项目随后会详细说明。

如果总统批准了宣布重大灾害声明的请求，那么FEMA能够给我提供多少资金来修缮房屋？

Answer:When the President declares a major disaster that includes your county, you may be eligible for limited assistance from FEMA for home repairs or replacement. The maximum disaster assistance award provided by FEMA is limited by the Stafford Act to $25,000 (consumer price index adjusted annually). The adjusted amount for federal fiscal year 2010 is $29,900. The average award for Individuals/households is approximately $5,000.

Note: If your mortgaged and uninsured home is destroyed, the mortgage company will still demand payments and are legally entitled to do so! 如果没有其它援助，那么这应该使您确信拥有适当保险承保范围的价值所在。

哦，提供的资金并不是很多。如果我的房屋严重损坏，那么FEMA援助无法帮助解决更多的问题。还有其它办法么？

Answer:If FEMA assistance will not get the job done for you, you may be eligible to apply for a low interest loan offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to home owners, renters, and small businesses. 法律规定，房屋建筑贷款不能超过200,000美元，室内设施贷款不能超过40,000美元。与任何商业贷款一样，您必须符合借贷的条件。大部分用于灾后重建的联邦援助都是以SBA贷款的形式提供的。

不过，我不想贷款 - 我承担不起贷款，那么应该如何解决？

Answer:If you don’t want a loan, that is certainly your decision/choice. SBA会帮助确定您是否能承担起贷款。 Federal disaster rules mandate (unless you do not meet the income test) that you apply for a disaster loan before being considered for help other than housing assistance.

If you do not apply for an SBA loan when instructed to do so, or reject a loan if one is offered, you could seriously limit the federal assistance that otherwise might be available to you. 如果您的贷款申请获得批准，并且您也得到了贷款，您将非常有可能获得您所需要的修缮资金，以便将您的房屋恢复到受灾前的状况。

如果我不符合贷款条件，那么应该怎么办？

Answer: If you do not qualify for a loan and have eligible disaster related serious needs or expenses, the SBA will refer your case to “Other Needs Assistance” (ONA) automatically. Through ONA, a disaster victim may receive additional federal assistance for eligible personal property and vehicle losses as well as help with medical, dental, and funeral expenses and certain other miscellaneous items.

您所说的“符合”与灾害相关的迫切需求及费用的资格是什么意思？我损失的每件东西对我而言都非常重要。

答：国会从未打算用联邦灾害援助来挽回您所有的损失。 The intent of federal disaster assistance is to help with your essential needs. It provides help in answering the question – what do you really need to be safe, secure, and sanitary? 这些需要是根据数以千计的受灾者的经历得出的。总统宣布某一灾害后，FEMA调查人员会到您的家中查看您的不动产和个人财产，在数据库中记录下您的损失情况。 Your eligibility for assistance awards are based on that inspection. 珠宝、古董、立体音响以及其他一些非基本生活物品不符合援助条件。同样，娱乐资产、除住所外的第二处房产，以及车库、谷仓等也不属于基本必需品。

我在新闻中看到，其他地区的受灾人可获得数百万美元，以挽回他们的受灾损失。我实际可以获得多少补偿？我本来以为FEMA会补偿全部的损失。

答：问得好。您在新闻中听到的消息通常容易产生误解。 The total amount of assistance (excluding loans from the SBA) that an individual can get from FEMA to help recover from a disaster is limited as stated above. The maximum award is adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index for all Consumer Goods. Any funds you get from FEMA for housing or Other Needs Assistance count against the maximum award. 不过，极少数的受灾者可经获得全额援助。 Before you can get help from Other Needs Assistance for personal property, transportation, and certain other miscellaneous items, you must first apply for an SBA loan and be determined ineligible. Most people qualify for loans and therefore do not get help through ONA. This is why very few disaster victims receive the maximum assistance award.

我的房屋毁坏了，没有保险，SBA也拒绝向我贷款。我得到FEMA最高限额的援助金，但是我仍然需要数千美元重建家园。还有其他援助途径吗？

Answer: Maybe. Voluntary and faith-base organizations across the state will attempt to assist households with disaster related serious needs and expenses after all federal assistance has been rendered. 但是，这些组织仅管理着有限的捐赠基金，有可能不能帮您完全挽回损失。如果您是这种情况，那么您最好争取获得FEMA资金，并且使同意帮助您的组织可以使用这笔资金。对这些志愿组织和宗教信仰组织而言，组织志愿者来完成工作要比捐赠资金来购买材料要容易得多。有了FEMA资金和志愿者们工作，您才更有可能获得最大限度的援助。

不管州政府是否给予联邦援助，这些志愿组织和宗教信仰组织都会为受灾者提供援助。 In short – they are generally always available to help meet essential needs.

看起来，依靠联邦灾害援助并不是一个很好的办法，那么我应该做些什么？

Answer: Excellent question: now you are thinking! Relying on others to bail you out of a bad situation is not a good plan; in fact it is not a plan at all. 受灾后，您是否能够最大限度地挽回损失取决于以下三件事：

1.Plan and prepare for disasters. 您当地的应急管理办公室可提供帮助，并且，互联网上也有丰富的相关信息。

2. Buy insurance to protect you from the extreme financial losses disasters represent. Insurance is one sure way to make your financial recovery possible. 也许您认为保险太贵了，但是您应该考虑到不购买保险可能会出现的后果。

TIP: Homeowner policies do not cover flood, earthquake, landslide, tsunami, and hurricanes. 对于这些灾害，您需要特别附加一些策略来应对。请谨记，您的洪水保险在签发30天后才生效。

3. Take charge, take responsibility, and do what you know you need to do to protect yourself and your family. Don’t give up control of your life to others by leaving yourself vulnerable.

For more information you may call Toney Raines, Human Service Manager, at 253.512.7028 or send an e-mail to t.raines@emd.wa.gov.

Last Update: November 3, 2009