Louisianans in Seven Parishes Encouraged to Apply for Federal, State Disaster Assistance
Louisianians in Seven Parishes Encouraged to Apply for Federal, State Disaster Assistance
Baton Rouge, La. – (RealEstateRama) — Louisiana homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained property damage as a result of the ongoing severe storms and flooding are urged to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as they may be eligible for federal and state disaster assistance.
The presidential disaster declaration of March 13 makes federal Individual Assistance available to eligible applicants in Bossier, Claiborne, Grant, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, and Webster parishes.
“Governor John Bel Edwards and our team at the GOHSEP are doing everything we can to make sure people impacted by the storms receive the assistance they need. We realize the tremendous burden some face because of the flooding,” said GOHSEP Director Jim Waskom. “Our prayers are with everyone dealing with hardship. We need those of you with damage to take a moment and register with FEMA to help us start the recovery process.”
People who had uninsured and underinsured storm damage in the seven designated parishes can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
“FEMA wants to help Louisiana residents begin their recovery as soon as possible, but we need to hear from them in order to do so,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Gerry Stolar.
Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.
Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if the person has registered with another disaster-relief organization such as the American Red Cross, or local community or church organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card. Applicants will be asked to provide:
Social Security number
Address of the damaged home or apartment
Description of the damage
Information about insurance coverage
A current contact telephone number
An address where they can get mail
Bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance.
We urge everyone to continue to use caution in areas where floodwaters remain. Monitor DOTD’s www.511la.org website for updated road closure information. Look for advisories from your local authorities and emergency managers. You can find the latest information on the state’s response at www.emergency.la.gov. GOHSEP also provides information on Facebook and Twitter. You can receive emergency alerts on most smartphones and tablets by downloading the new Alert FM App. It is free for basic service. You can also download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other information at www.getagameplan.org.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice (at) sba (dot) gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800)877-8339.
