FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
BACKGROUND
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is instrumental in our nation’s response to unpredictable and devastating calamities. In addition to delivering tactical disaster recovery support for incidents ranging from hurricanes to pandemics, the agency offers local and state governments advisory support and funds for infrastructure rebuilds and response training. FEMA’s mission is to make our nation safer, stronger and better prepared.
SCOPE
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Foreign Language Translation
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Foreign Language Interpretation
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Transcription Services
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Translation/Captioning Services
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Desktop Publishing
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Website Localization
CHALLENGE
When a major disaster occurs in the U.S., whether in the form of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or pandemics, FEMA responds. Their response must be swift, thorough and address the adversities facing every individual, regardless of language, location or severity. In order to save lives and limit human suffering, FEMA must effectively overcome all communication barriers and ensure accurate messaging through all mediums to the entire population impacted by a given catastrophe. FEMA’s response to impending or unpredicted crises is developed and deployed with urgency and pinpoint specificity delivering safety and shelter to those in crisis. Regardless of location and in the most difficult of times, FEMA must be poised to offer immediate solutions to a population utilizing hundreds of languages and dialects, in the harshest of environments and in unimaginable chaos. Failure to succeed often results in immense and unrecoverable tragedy.
SOLUTION
Through the highest levels of performance, in the most challenging of times, LIS Solutions has supported FEMA initiatives throughout the United States and its territories. LIS’ continued ability to rapidly respond, often within hours, and deliver precise language support to the most urgent of needs anywhere in the country, has elevated LIS to a vendor of choice. Today, LIS Solutions supports all FEMA components (Disaster Operations, International‐Intergovernmental‐Congressional and Public Affairs, Private Sector and Resource Management) and is continuously recognized as going above and beyond expectations and handling large workloads with tight deadlines. When working in the most critical of times and when lives are on the line, FEMA looks to LIS Solutions as their language services provider.
The LIS staff member based in Putnam County, Florida has been an excellent interpreter, primarily with Spanish Speaking applicants or English/Spanish-speaking applicants with limited English fluency. The LIS staff member displays a warm and caring demeanor and works well with applicants and disaster survivors. She frequently goes above and beyond mere interpretive duties and assists applicants with writing letters and other tasks to facilitate the disaster assistance application process.
LIS has been a true asset to the smooth operation of DRC #10.
— Alice Thomas Stiward,
DRC #10 Center Manager, FEMA
