St. Tammany and Calcasieu Parish Disaster Survivors Can Get Rebuilding Tips at Local Home Improvement Centers

Baton Rouge, La. — Disaster Survivors from Caddo, St. Tammany and Calcasieu parishes who are rebuilding after the March 8 – April 8 severe storms and floods can receive free consultations with hazard mitigation advisors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The mitigation representatives will be available at Lowe’s in Slidell and Lowe’s in Sulphur from Monday, May 2 until Saturday, May 7.

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 roof repair and rebuilding flooded homes.

The store locations and the hours the advisors will be available are as follows:

Lowe’s Home Improvement
39184 Natchez Drive
Slidell, La.

Advisors will be available Monday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and

Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Lowe’s Home Improvement
305 South Cities Service Highway
Sulphur, La.

Advisors will be available Monday 9  a.m. to 5  p.m.,

Tuesday through Friday 8  a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Survivors can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov. They may also 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.

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 We urge everyone to continue to use caution in areas where floodwaters remain. Monitor DOTD’s www.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 www.emergency.la.gov. GOHSEP also provides information at www.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 www.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.

The U.S. Small Business Administration 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.