Five More Parishes Added For FEMA Individual Assistance

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisianians in five more parishes — Assumption, St. Helena, St. James, Terrebonne and Washington — can now apply for federal and state disaster assistance, as they were added Thursday to the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac.

Homeowners, renters and business owners in the five parishes may now register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance, and report their uninsured or underinsured property damage or destruction from the storm.

“The disaster designation for these extra parishes will allow us to rush assistance to many more eligible hurricane survivors in Louisiana,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “Survivors in all 16 parishes now designated for Individual Assistance should register with FEMA as soon as possible.”

Just eight days since the major disaster declaration for Louisiana, Individual Assistance (IA) has been made available in 16 parishes. The other 11 are Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.

Disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured individuals may include:

• Grants to help pay for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make a home habitable;
• Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance;
• Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Survivors can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smartphone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Assumption, St. Helena, St. James, Terrebonne and Washington residents affected by the hurricane, along with the residents of the other IA parishes, 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 or local community or church organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card. They 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.

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.