Natchitoches Parish Disaster Survivors Can Get Rebuilding Tips at a Local Home Improvement Center

Baton Rouge, La. –Disaster survivors from Natchitoches Parish who are rebuilding after the severe storms and floods that occurred March 8 through April 8 can receive free consultations with hazard mitigation advisors from FEMA. The mitigation representatives are available at Lowe’s in Natchitoches Monday, June 6 through Saturday, June 11.

The mitigation advisors will answer questions about protecting homes from future disaster-related damage, as well as offer tips and techniques to build hazard resistant homes. Most of the information and the free publications provided are geared for do-it-yourself work and general contractors.

Recovery topics to be covered include flood insurance, elevating utilities and rebuilding flooded homes.

The store location is:

Stine Lumber-Building

5690 Highway 1 Bypass

Natchitoches, La.

Advisors are available Monday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday

9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Survivors can register for FEMA assistance through Monday, June 13 online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or may call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Cuando llame al

1-800 621-3362 (FEMA) marque el 1 y escuche las instrucciones en español. Favor llamar antes del lunes 13 de junio.

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We urge everyone to continue to use caution in areas where floodwaters remain. Monitor DOTD’s 511la.org website for updated road closure information. Look for advisories from your local authorities and emergency managers. You can find the latest information on the state’s response at  emergency.la.gov. GOHSEP also provides information at gohsep.la.gov, Facebook and Twitter. You can receive emergency alerts on most smartphones and tablets by downloading the new Alert FM App. It is free for basic service. You can also download the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Guide and find other information at getagameplan.org.

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). If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

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 twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at blog.fema.gov.

FEMA offers a number of free online resources for home and property owners. To get started, go to fema.gov/safer-stronger-protected-homes-communities or fema.gov/louisiana-disaster-mitigation.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at SBA.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.