Disaster Assistance Tops $76.3 Million in St. John Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. – Nearly three months since the Aug. 29 federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana, more than $365 million in state and federal disaster assistance has been approved for the state. Disaster assistance for survivors in St. John Parish now totals $76,333,667.

St. John Parish by the Numbers

Number of survivors who registered for assistance with FEMA: 12,617

Amount of Housing Assistance approved: $22,877,141

Amount of Other Needs Assistance approved: $5,027,052

TOTAL Individual Assistance grants: $27,904,193

TOTAL Public Assistance obligations: $5,895,274

TOTAL U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans: $42,534,200

Timeline,

Aug. 27 – President Obama issued an Emergency Declaration in Louisiana, in advance of Hurricane Isaac, for emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program.

Aug. 29 – President Obama issued a federal disaster declaration for 35 parishes in Louisiana, including St. John. The declaration made Public Assistance (PA) funds available for reimbursement of  costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A & B), including direct federal assistance. A total of 55 parishes are now designated for PA.

Aug. 29 – The federal disaster declaration also made all parishes in the state eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Aug. 31 – An amendment designated five parishes in Louisiana, including St. John, eligible for Individual Assistance (IA). With subsequent amendments, IA is now available in 26 parishes: Allen, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Morehouse, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.

Sept. 1 – A Disaster Recovery Center opened in St. John Parish at 1931 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.  A total of 9,043 people have visited the recovery center, making it the busiest for Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana. It will close permanently on Nov. 29.

Sept. 3 – FEMA, at the request of the state, activated the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program, which allowed eligible evacuees from Hurricane Isaac who could not return to their homes to stay in hotels or motels until more suitable housing accommodations were available. The program was extended four times. Of the 5,877 St. John residents eligible for TSA, 895 checked into hotels under the program.

Sept. 13 – The SBA opened a Business Recovery Center in LaPlace, St. John Parish, to provide information about low-interest disaster loans to local businesses and to assist with applications.

Sept. 21 – FEMA extended the PA program in eight parishes, including St. John, to include supplemental funding for infrastructure repairs in the wake of Hurricane Isaac. Applicants in St. John are now eligible to apply for the full range of PA funding (Categories A-G).

Sept. 26 – FEMA approved supplemental funding for debris removal from qualified private properties in St. John Parish. Debris removal from private property is generally not eligible for FEMA funding, but funding was approved for St. John because the debris on residential and private business property was so widespread that public health, safety and the economic recovery of the community were threatened.

Survivors in St. John Parish affected by Hurricane Isaac can apply for disaster assistance until the Nov. 29 deadline. They may apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov, at m.fema.gov with a smartphone, or by phone at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Survivors who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 800-621-3362.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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.

SBA is the federal government’s primary source of funding 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 uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).