Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Two Louisiana Parishes

BATON ROUGE, La. –Disaster recovery centers will open Monday, March 21, in Monroe and Slidell to help Louisiana flood survivors. The centers are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday until further notice. The centers will be closed on Easter Sunday, March 27.

The disaster recovery centers are located at the following addresses:

Monroe Civic Center
401 Lea Joyner Expressway
Monroe, Ouachita Parish, La.

The Towers Government Building
520 Old Spanish Trail
Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, La.

More centers are planned to open in affected parishes.

Representatives from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, volunteer groups and other agencies are at the center to answer questions about disaster assistance and low-interest disaster loans. They can also help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance.

It is not necessary to visit a center to register for and receive federal disaster assistance. If possible, survivors should register with FEMA before visiting a recovery center.

To register, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages and phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting a center may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids.

For information, call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov/disaster/4263.