Regional Report : PICO-UNION : Bilingual Aides Ease FEMA Task

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up shop after the Northridge earthquake, it was confronted by thousands of confused and frightened residents. For residents who don’t speak English, that confusion is compounded by a sense of helplessness.

That’s where Jose Monge came in.

With thousands of Spanish-speaking residents unable to adequately communicate their concerns, the call went out to 44 bilingual FEMA workers based in Puerto Rico. As he has in past disasters, Monge flew out at a moment’s notice with other workers.

“I’ve worked about seven disasters, including this earthquake,” said Monge, who was assigned to a FEMA location at the Toberman Recreation Center.

Since the Jan. 17 temblor, more than 500 FEMA workers have been flown in from across the country.

Nearly 1,100 workers have been hired locally by FEMA’s Region 9--which includes California--since the Northridge earthquake.

For residents of Pico-Union and Westlake left homeless by the quake, disaster assistance centers staffed by bilingual personnel continue to be vital.

Dressed in jeans and print shirt, Monge listened recently to a woman whose apartment was red-tagged, barring her from entering her building. Another worker explained that the woman has been unable to receive housing assistance because of a paperwork mix-up that lists the apartment as being inhabitable.

“This is typical,” Monge said, instructing another worker to contact building inspectors. “Every day we have people who don’t know what to do.”

More than 1,500 applications have been processed at the center in the heart of the predominantly Central American community.