Disaster Assistance Nears $91 Million in St. John Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. – Nearly six months since the Aug. 29, 2012, federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana, nearly $91 million in state and federal disaster assistance has been approved for the parish. Disaster assistance for survivors and their communities in St. John Parish now totals $90,989,232.

St. John Parish by the Numbers

TOTAL Individual Assistance grants: $31,522,411

• Housing Assistance approved: $25,854,147
• Other Needs Assistance approved: $5,668,263

TOTAL Public Assistance obligations: $11,639,721

TOTAL U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loans: $47,827,100

Free crisis counseling is still available to children and adults in St. John Parish by calling 985-688-9266 from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 877-500-9997 from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Trained counselors are provided by a network of state human services authorities and districts to take calls and meet with survivors face to face if a follow-up session is needed.

“Programs such as crisis counseling are in place to meet the continuing emotional needs of survivors,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar of FEMA. “Receiving the right support can help most survivors continue to move on with their lives following Hurricane Isaac.”

Survivors affected by Hurricane Isaac who would like to speak to a FEMA representative may call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Survivors who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362.

More information on Louisiana disaster recovery is available online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. FEMA is also on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA.