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FEMA Obligates $2.4 Million to St. Charles Parish for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. – St. Charles Parish will receive a nearly $2.4 million federal grant to help the parish recover from Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Friday.

The FEMA Public Assistance grant, totaling $2,339,648, helps reimburse the parish for costs to remove and dispose of hurricane-related debris and downed trees from public streets and parish-owned property.

“FEMA strongly supports the parish’s efforts to clean up the community after the storm,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “Removing piles of debris not only eliminates a threat to public health and safety, it also marks an important milestone in recovery for all residents.”

The grant covers the federal share of the parish’s eligible costs for the work. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant pay the remaining 25 percent.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the more than $171.2 million in total Public Assistance recovery dollars approved for the state since the Aug. 29, 2012, disaster declaration.

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Louisiana it is the state’s responsibility to manage the funds, which includes making disbursements to local jurisdictions and organizations that incurred costs.

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.

FEMA Obligates $2.4 Million to St. Charles Parish for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

FEMA Working to Increase Assistance for Hurricane Survivors in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. — More than $530,000 in additional disaster assistance is getting to Hurricane Isaac survivors as the result of an initiative launched by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Louisiana.

Under the initiative, 3,904 storm survivors are getting follow-up phone calls and even some home visits from a team of FEMA outreach liaisons. They are helping applicants with the appeal process, explaining letters they may have received from FEMA and assisting applicants with gathering the documentation needed for their claims.

So far, outreach specialists have helped survivors obtain more than $174,000 in Rental Assistance and nearly $358,000 in Housing Assistance.

Since Hurricane Isaac roared ashore in late August, the state and FEMA have approved more than $117 million in grants for eligible individuals and families in Louisiana. The grants are for temporary housing, home repair and reconstruction, and for other needs, including personal property replacement or disaster-related medical and dental expenses. The total includes more than $530,000 in assistance resulting from the outreach initiative.

“With this proactive approach we’re reducing the number of survivors determined ineligible for federal assistance because of incomplete or missing information,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of FEMA. “The recovery process is stressful for those who suffered great losses, and we want to make sure all survivors get the maximum grant they are eligible to receive.”

“Another benefit of survivor outreach is that FEMA can more quickly close cases and thus get survivors referred to long-term recovery committees to assist them with any unmet needs,” said Susan Tompkins, head of FEMA’s Individual Assistance branch for the hurricane recovery mission. “This helps speed the pace of recovery for everyone.”

The outreach effort will continue until FEMA contacts all eligible survivors in the parishes, Tompkins said.

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). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

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FEMA Working to Increase Assistance for Hurricane Survivors in Louisiana

FEMA Obligates $1 Million to St. John Parish for Emergency Measures

BATON ROUGE, La. – A new $1 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will help St. John Parish cover its costs for emergency efforts for protecting citizens during Hurricane Isaac in late August, FEMA has announced.

Responding to the hurricane, the parish ordered evacuations and rerouted traffic away from storm-affected areas, conducted search-and-rescue operations and secured improved properties, among other protective efforts.

The $1,004,306 FEMA grant will pay the federal share of St. John’s eligible costs for overtime labor, equipment and materials for the operations. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant cover the remaining 25 percent.

“Our primary goal is to protect lives during a disaster event like Hurricane Isaac, and St. John Parish made considerable effort to do just that,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “FEMA grants for protective measures strongly support these activities.”

Once FEMA pays the funds to the state of Louisiana, their management, including disbursement to local governments and organizations performing services, is the responsibility of the state. The obligated funds are a portion of more than $108 million in total Public Assistance recovery funds obligated to the state since the Aug. 29 declaration for Hurricane Isaac.

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 http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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FEMA Obligates $1 Million to St. John Parish for Emergency Measures

Make Smart Decisions with Hurricane Recovery Funds

BATON ROUGE, La. – With more than $113 million in Individual Assistance already in the hands of Louisiana’s Hurricane Isaac survivors, federal officials have some advice: Resist the urge to splurge.

“After a period of deprivation and stress, it’s natural for storm survivors to want to indulge in a few luxuries,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “But state and federal disaster assistance is meant to help people pay for necessities, to help them get back on their feet.”

Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for emergency repairs on damaged homes, temporary housing, or other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources.

A letter explaining a payment’s purpose will arrive within a day or two of the check or direct deposit payment. If survivors use payments on anything other than their intended purpose, they may have to repay those funds — and might not be able to receive future disaster assistance.

“Survivors have to make smart decisions with their recovery funds,” Stolar said. “Recovery money can be a foundation on which to build a better future.”
Survivors who have not yet registered may do so online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. They may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

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Make Smart Decisions with Hurricane Recovery Funds

Updating Contact Information as Important as Registering with FEMA

BATON ROUGE, La. – As Louisianians continue to recover from Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issues this reminder: Keeping contact information current is as important as registering for disaster assistance.

“We encourage all survivors to stay in touch with FEMA,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of FEMA. “This is especially important for those eligible survivors in newly added parishes who have not received their FEMA assistance.”

Survivors who change their addresses, telephone numbers, or bank account or insurance information should update that information with FEMA. Outdated contact information could lead to missed correspondence or telephone calls. Without accurate banking information, eligible survivors could miss disaster assistance grants that are sent to accounts via direct deposit.

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

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Updating Contact Information as Important as Registering with FEMA

Louisiana Major Disaster Declaration Amended to Include Individual Assistance

WASHINGTON – Today, FEMA announced an amendment to the major disaster declaration for the State of Louisiana to include the Individual Assistance Program.

Federal funding is available to affected individuals in Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany parishes. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and households recover from the effects of the disaster.

Individuals and households who sustained losses in the designated county can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

For more information, visit: http://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit/recovery-directorate/assistance-individuals-and.

Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

On Wednesday, the President declared a major disaster declaration for the State of Louisiana for emergency work and hazard mitigation.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Louisiana Major Disaster Declaration Amended to Include Individual Assistance