Louisiana renters with flood damage may be eligible for federal help

Baton Rouge, La. – Louisiana renters who experienced losses due to the severe storms and flooding beginning on Aug. 11, 2016, may be eligible for disaster recovery assistance from FEMA and the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA).

Renters may be eligible for grants from FEMA to help with such disaster-related expenses as:

• Renting a new place to live when the renter’s previous home was lost due to the disaster.
• Disaster related medical and dental expenses.
• Replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged in the disaster, such as appliances and furniture, textbooks and computers used by students, and work equipment or tools used by the self-employed.
• Repair or replacement of vehicles damaged by the disaster.
• Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses.

FEMA grants are not loans and do not have to be repaid. They are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, SNAP benefits and several other programs.

Additionally, renters may qualify for a low-interest loan of up to $40,000 from the SBA to repair or replace personal property.

Renters who sustained losses can apply for assistance online with any computer, smart phone or tablet at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585.  Those who use 711 or video relay service can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Download the FEMA mobile app for disaster resources, weather alerts, and safety tips. The app provides a customizable checklist of emergency supplies, maps of open shelters and weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations across the Nation. The latest feature of the app allows you to send notifications to your device to remind you to take important steps to prepare your home and family for disasters. Go to Ready.gov for more details.

For more information about disaster loans, call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit sba.gov/disaster.  TTY users may call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4277, twitter.com/FEMA, facebook.com/FEMA and fema.gov/blog.

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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.