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Flood Survivors May Be Eligible for Lodging Expense Reimbursement

BATON ROUGE, La. – Flood survivors who have registered with FEMA may be eligible for reimbursement if they had to pay out-of-pocket for temporary lodging because of flood damage to their primary residence.

You may be eligible for lodging expense reimbursement if you:

register with FEMA;
pass identity verification;
verify occupancy in a primary residence within a declared parish;
verify that their primary residence is uninhabitable or inaccessible;
incurred disaster-related temporary lodging expenses on or after the incident period start date — in this case, Aug. 12, 2016;
do not have insurance that would cover lodging and therefore duplicate benefits; and
did not receive lodging assistance during the same time period.

Reimbursement funds are available for eligible applicants up to the maximum amount of financial assistance — $33,000 — available through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. Applicants who have already received the maximum grant available will not be eligible for lodging expense reimbursement.

Survivors who are approved for lodging expense reimbursement must submit zero balance receipts to FEMA in order to receive payment. Reimbursement will not cover incidental costs such as phone calls, laundry, internet, pay-per-view, food, or pet care.

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Flood Survivors May Be Eligible for Lodging Expense Reimbursement

Survivors in Greene, Hartnett and Sampson Counties May Apply for Disaster Assistance

RALEIGH, N.C. – Homeowners, renters and business owners in Greene, Harnett and Sampson counties may apply for federal disaster assistance for Hurricane Matthew damage and losses in North Carolina.

The fourteen counties already eligible to apply for assistance under FEMA’s Individual and Households Program are Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Hoke, Johnston, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt, Robeson, Wayne and Wilson counties.

Storm damage and losses from the hurricane and flooding must have occurred beginning October 4^th.

Survivors are encouraged to register with FEMA as soon as possible. If you have phone and/or internet access, you may register in one of the following ways:

Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
Download the FEMA Mobile App
Phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call

800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use TTY may call 800-462-7585.
The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Multilingual operators are available.

For those who do not have access to telephone or internet service, don’t be discouraged. North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA are coming to you. Teams of State and FEMA survivor assistance specialists will be moving into affected communities soon to help people register for assistance. Additionally, disaster recovery centers are being planned and will open in the near future in affected counties.

Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Survivors should also contact their insurance company to file an insurance claim. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, those without insurance or those who may be underinsured may still receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

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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 800-621-3362 or TTY at 800-462-7585.

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.

The latest updates on road closures can be found at ReadyNC.org or by calling 5-1-1. Residents can also get real-time traffic and weather on the ReadyNC mobile app. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit NCdisasterrelief.org or text NCRecovers to 30306. Follow us on Facebook at NCEmergencyManagement and Twitter @NCEmergency or @femaregion4.

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 homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations 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 Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800)877-8339.

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Survivors in Greene, Hartnett and Sampson Counties May Apply for Disaster Assistance

Four More North Carolina Counties May Apply for Disaster Assistance

RALEIGH, N.C. – Homeowners, renters and business owners in Bertie, Johnston, Wayne and Wilson counties may apply for federal disaster assistance for Hurricane Matthew damage and losses in North Carolina.

The 10 counties already eligible to apply for assistance under FEMA’s Individual and Households Program are Beaufort, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Hoke, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt and Robeson counties. Bertie, Johnston, Wayne, and Wilson counties were added Oct. 11.

Storm damage and losses from the hurricane and flooding must have occurred beginning Oct. 4 and continuing.

Survivors are encouraged to register with FEMA as soon as possible. If you have phone and/or internet access, you may register in one of the following ways:

Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
Download the FEMA Mobile App
Phone 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call
800-621-3362. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.
The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 2-1-1.

For those who do not have access to telephone or internet service, don’t be discouraged. FEMA is coming to you. Teams of FEMA survivor assistance specialists will be moving into affected communities soon to help people register for assistance. Additionally, disaster recovery centers are being planned and will open in the near future in affected counties.

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The latest updates on road closures can be found at ReadyNC.org or by calling 5-1-1. Residents can also get real-time traffic and weather on the ReadyNC mobile app.

Follow us on Facebook at NCEmergencyManagement and Twitter @NCEmergency or @femaregion4.

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Four More North Carolina Counties May Apply for Disaster Assistance

Debris Removal Continues; Now More than 50 Percent Complete

BATON ROUGE, La. – Recovery officials estimate that recent flooding left 4.8 million cubic yards or 80,000 truckloads of debris in its wake. Removal of that debris is an important sign of progress in disaster recovery, but it takes time. On Sept. 25, debris removal hit the 55-percent completion mark.

For the August flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program will reimburse eligible Louisiana jurisdictions 90 percent of reasonable costs involved in debris removal. To receive reimbursement for debris removal, a local jurisdiction must be eligible for the program and have the legal authority to remove debris from public rights-of-way.

Reasonable costs include overtime for full-time employees as well as contractor fees for removal, disposal, recycling and/or monitoring. (The contract must have been competitively bid and comply with state, federal and local standards.)

In general, private property debris removal is not eligible for FEMA reimbursement under the law. However, because of the large amount of debris, the threat it posed to human health and safety, and the lack of right-of-way to deposit debris FEMA has expanded curbside debris removal for the recent Louisiana flooding. Property owners who have questions should contact their local emergency manager. Before anyone can go onto private property, the local jurisdiction must have a sworn statement of permission from the property owner to remove debris.

Recovery officials encourage people to continue sorting debris into categories and moving it to the curbside. The categories are household garbage; construction debris; vegetative debris; household hazardous waste; white goods (i.e., washing machines, refrigerators, etc.); and electronics.

Separating debris will speed recovery. However, recovery officials want to remind everyone to be safe, especially during ongoing debris removal operations. The sight of heavy trucks hauling debris may seem familiar, but it is vital to follow safety guidelines at all times around debris and heavy equipment.

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Debris Removal Continues; Now More than 50 Percent Complete

Future Disaster Assistance? Keep Flood Insurance Current

BATON ROUGE, La. — If your house flooded and you did not have flood insurance, you may have received some federal financial assistance for the August flooding. But if your home is in a floodplain and you hold a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, you may be required to buy flood insurance.

This requirement applies when a building has been damaged and is located in an area that is at high risk of flooding. These high-risk areas are called Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs).

In high-risk areas, there is at least a one in four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. You may be restricted to only rental assistance in a future disaster unless you buy flood insurance and keep the policy in effect.

A flood-insurance policy protects you financially even when a presidential disaster is not declared or if you live in a parish that was not designated for federal assistance.

Once you receive federal financial assistance, you must keep flood insurance coverage at your address even if the damaged building is replaced by a new one. If you sell your home, you are required to inform the new owners that they must maintain flood insurance coverage on the building. Often, an existing flood-insurance policy can be transferred to a new owner with no lapse in coverage.

You may receive a Certificate of Flood Insurance for a Group Policy as a part of your federal Individuals and Households Assistance program (IHP) grant. This policy provides minimal coverage on the home equal to the maximum IHP grant currently available. For the Louisiana August 2016 floods, the required premium provides coverage of $33,000.

Group Policies have a term of three years, after which you will be required to purchase and maintain a Standard Flood Insurance Policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) until you are no longer the homeowner or renter at that location. In order to avoid any lapse in coverage, it is important to apply for your new coverage at least 30 days before the expiration of the Group Policy.
You may cancel your participation in the Group Policy at any time during its policy term, provided that you have purchased your own NFIP flood insurance coverage.

If you are a renter and receive federal financial assistance, flood-insurance coverage must be maintained on the contents for as long as you live at the flood-damaged rental property. The requirement for flood insurance is lifted once you move from the building.

But, because federal law mandates the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of disaster funding, an applicant who does not comply with the flood insurance obligation may become mostly ineligible for future disaster assistance. It’s that important.

If you do not live in a flood zone but your home was flooded, you do not have to maintain flood insurance. Even without the legal requirement, it is a wise decision to purchase flood insurance.

Even though flood insurance isn’t federally required in moderate- to low-risk areas, homeowners and businesses that have mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders may be required to purchase flood coverage by the mortgage holder. Anyone can be financially vulnerable to floods.

In fact, people outside of mapped high-risk flood areas file more than 20 percent of all National Flood Insurance Program flood-insurance claims and receive one-third of federal disaster assistance for flooding. When it’s available, disaster assistance is typically a loan you must repay with interest.

With all that you are going through, don’t let this vital coverage slip through the cracks. Protect yourself and your family from future financial loss by purchasing and maintaining flood insurance coverage.

For more information about the NFIP and flood insurance, call 800-427-4661 or contact your insurance company or agent.

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Future Disaster Assistance? Keep Flood Insurance Current

You Can Help to Move Your FEMA Assistance Request Forward

BATON ROUGE, La. — You can make a big difference in getting fast action on your FEMA application by providing all the information needed and then staying in touch. The state and FEMA rely on that information to process each claim.

When you register with FEMA, the facts you provide are used to determine what types of assistance you may be eligible to receive. When all the information is complete, FEMA is able to make a decision regarding your disaster aid.

There are a number of reasons flood survivors receive ineligibility letters and yet may qualify for assistance. For example, you may still need to:

Return insurance information
- If you have flood insurance, contact your insurance company and ask for a settlement letter detailing exactly what is covered under your claim.
- Hand in the letter at a disaster recovery center or mail insurance settlement information to FEMA – Individuals & Households Program
  - National Processing Service Center,
    P.O. Box 10055
    Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055
- FEMA cannot provide money to individuals or households for losses already covered by insurance.
Provide information to prove occupancy or ownership of the damaged property
- Utility bills, tax receipts, rental receipts are all proof you lived at the address.
Fill out all necessary paperwork and update your contact information
- Answer all questions on the form.
- Let FEMA know each time you move or change a phone number:
  - By going online to DisasterAssistance.gov;
  - By calling 800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily;
  - Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362;
  - By talking face-to-face with a specialist at a disaster recovery center. Find the closest one at fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362; or
  - By downloading the FEMA mobile app.
Complete and return the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan application.
- Be sure to return the completed SBA loan application even if you choose to decline the loan.
- Filling out the loan application is a necessary step so you can be considered for additional forms of disaster assistance.

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You Can Help to Move Your FEMA Assistance Request Forward

Flood Insurance Rates Remain Unchanged

BATON ROUGE, La. – Despite the worst flooding in recent Louisiana history, flood insurance continues to be available to homeowners, renters and businesses at the pre-flood price. Widespread flood losses in Louisiana will not cause flood insurance rates to rise above scheduled annual increases, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The August flooding does not trigger remapping of flood zones, or changes in base flood elevations. That includes the remapping efforts that have been in process for several years in six of the designated parishes. Revisions of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and Base Flood Elevations (BFE) in those parishes will continue, based on data compiled prior to the latest flood.

However, if your home or business was substantially damaged and you are rebuilding, you may need to mitigate your structures (elevate, etc.) to come into compliance with your community floodplain ordinance. It is crucial that you contact your local floodplain administrator to ensure you are in compliance and obtaining the proper building permits.

Properties located in a floodplain that have federally backed mortgages are required by law to be properly insured against known hazards, such as flooding.

Properties that were not required to have flood insurance by the mortgage lender prior to the floods may not be required to carry it when they are rebuilt. It is important to understand that even if the lender is not requiring flood insurance, it is still available to purchase.

The NFIP offers two types of coverage — building and contents. Keep in mind that your mortgage lender may only require you to purchase flood insurance for the structure. Building coverage will include the structure and attached items such as the electrical system and permanent flooring. Contents coverage will cover items such as personal belongings and furniture for an additional premium.

To find your approximate flood insurance costs and the hazard level of your area, visit www.FloodSmart.gov and enter the property address. An interactive display demonstrates the cost of flood damage by inches or feet of water that enters the house.

For an actual quote on a specific property, you should contact your insurance agent. Policies can be written by authorized insurance agencies; they are underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program administered by FEMA.

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Flood Insurance Rates Remain Unchanged

FEMA Reinterment Assistance

FEMA disaster assistance may be available for reinterment efforts in Louisiana cemeteries, where floodwaters have dislodged or destroyed caskets, vaults, and mausoleums.

FEMA disaster assistance for reinterment of exposed human remains or dislodged burial vessels is available to individual survivors and cemeteries on a case-by-case basis. Factors that affect eligibility for assistance include where the cemeteries are located, who has legal responsibility for them, and who has legal ownership of them.

Information regarding reinterment assistance is available at the FEMA helpline,
800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

Private versus Public Cemeteries

When determining eligibility for FEMA reinterment assistance,

Private refers to:
- Cemeteries owned and operated by a private entity
- Cemeteries owned and operated by a private nonprofit (PNP) entity
- Cemeteries maintained by an individual or family on their own private property
Public refers to:
- Cemeteries owned and operated by a governmental entity
- Abandoned private cemeteries for which a governmental entity has assumed full legal responsibility

FEMA Reinterment Assistance Regarding Private Cemeteries

Reinterment costs may be eligible, regardless of the cemetery type, when those costs are the legal responsibility of an individual and not the cemetery
Individuals or families who maintain a cemetery on their own private property may also be eligible for reinterment assistance through the Other Needs Assistance provision of FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program
In order to be considered for reinterment assistance from FEMA, individuals or families must register with FEMA and provide the following documentation:
- A signed statement from an authoritative medical official (e.g., a coroner or medical examiner) stating that the disinterment was a direct result of the flooding
- Receipts or verifiable estimates for reinterment expenses that prove the cost for reinterment will fall upon the individuals being considered for assistance
- Any applicable documentation of burial insurance or prior reinterment assistance from any voluntary or governmental agency
Survivors can register with FEMA by going online with any computer, smartphone or tablet to DisasterAssistance.gov, calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362, or downloading the FEMA mobile app
Individuals or families who receive reinterment assistance may be reimbursed for:
- Transferring remains
- Caskets, containers, vaults or urns that were damaged
- Markers or headstones that were damaged
- Necessary costs related to identifying remains
- Necessary work at the gravesite to reinter remains
Individuals or families who receive FEMA reinterment assistance are responsible for understanding and abiding by any applicable local, parish,or state laws or ordinances regarding human remains and their interment

FEMA Reinterment Assistance for Public Cemeteries

Public cemeteries may be eligible for FEMA reinterment assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance program
In order to be considered for FEMA reinterment assistance through the Public Assistance program, the owner and/or operator of the public cemetery must apply via louisianapa.com
Owners and/or operators of public cemeteries who receive FEMA reinterment assistance are responsible for understanding and abiding by any applicable local, parish, or state laws or ordinances regarding human remains and their interment

If You Are Ineligible for FEMA Reinterment Assistance

If you are deemed ineligible for FEMA reinterment assistance, contact your local or parish government to determine if any other assistance programs are available

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FEMA Reinterment Assistance

Disaster Recovery Center in West Baton Rouge Closing Friday

BATON ROUGE, La. – The disaster recovery center at the following address is closing at noon on Friday, Sept. 16:

West Baton Rouge Parish

Location: LSU Center at the 4-H Compound
210 Turner Drive
Port Allen, LA 70767

With survivors returning home to repair and rebuild, the number of visits to this disaster recovery center has declined, leading to the facility’s closure.

Survivors can still visit any disaster recovery center and may locate other centers near them by going online to fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers, calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, or downloading the FEMA mobile app.

To register with FEMA, go online with any computer, smartphone or tablet to DisasterAssistance.gov, call the FEMA Helpline, or download the FEMA mobile app. Help is available in most languages and the FEMA Helpline is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

Disaster recovery centers are staffed by representatives from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, National Flood Insurance Program specialists, volunteer groups and other agencies. These representatives are available to provide information about disaster assistance, flood insurance, personal and property risk reduction and low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses. They can also help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance.

Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams are canvassing many affected areas and are able to register people for FEMA assistance. Sometimes these teams will remain in certain locations convenient to the community, such as a library or mayor’s office. When residents require further assistance the teams may refer them to a disaster recovery center nearby.

It is not necessary to visit a center to register for and receive federal disaster assistance. If possible, survivors should register with FEMA before visiting a recovery center.

Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service or require accommodations while visiting a center may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids. Each disaster recovery center has assistive technologies for people with disabilities.

Low-interest disaster loans from the SBA are available for businesses of all sizes including landlords, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters. Disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries.

For more information, applicants may contact the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov or visiting the SBA’s website at sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.

For information call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362, download the FEMA mobile app, or go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov/disaster/4277.

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Disaster Recovery Center in West Baton Rouge Closing Friday

Disaster Recovery Center in Iberville Parish Closing Friday

BATON ROUGE, La. – The disaster recovery center at the following address is closing at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16:

Iberville Parish

Location: East Iberville Gym
3285 Highway 75
St.Gabriel, LA 70776

With survivors returning home to repair and rebuild, the number of visits to this disaster recovery center has declined, leading to the facility’s closure.

It is not necessary to visit a center to register for and receive federal disaster assistance. If possible, survivors should register with FEMA before visiting a recovery center.

For information call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362, download the FEMA mobile app, or go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov/disaster/4277.

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Disaster Recovery Center in Iberville Parish Closing Friday

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