BATON ROUGE, La. – The disaster recovery centers in Homer, Leesville and Slidell will transition to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Outreach Centers beginning Monday, April 25.

The disaster recovery centers in Homer and Slidell will remain open until 6 p.m. Friday, April 22, while the disaster recovery center in Leesville will remain open until 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

The new SBA centers will be located at the following addresses:

Parish Police Jury Complex
507 W Main St.
Homer, La.
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
 

The Towers Government Building
520 Old Spanish Trail
Slidell, La.
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
 

Vernon Parish Fairgrounds Agricultural Exhibit
276 HM Stevens Blvd., (off LA Highway 8 West)
Leesville, La.
9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

These centers will be open Monday through Friday, and representatives from the SBA will be available at the centers to meet individually with Louisiana residents and business owners who sustained damage as a result of the severe storms and flooding from March 8 to April 8. Representatives will answer questions, explain SBA’s disaster loan program, help complete loan applications and close approved disaster loans.

Louisiana disaster survivors in Homer, Slidell and Leesville may still visit other recovery centers to meet with recovery officials. For other locations, go to fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers or call 800-621-3362.

Residents can still register for disaster assistance or ask questions by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711/VRS can call 800-621-3362. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. They can also register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or FEMA.gov/disaster/4263.

Call the helpline to:

• Ask questions about FEMA determination letters.
• Learn how to appeal FEMA determinations. All applicants have the right to appeal.
• Inquire about the status of a registration.
• Provide change of address, telephone and bank account numbers and insurance information to avoid disaster assistance processing delays.
• Receive information about FEMA home inspections.
• Get other questions answered about federal disaster assistance.

FEMA advises applicants to have their nine-digit FEMA registration number on hand when they call. They also will be asked to verify their identity if they want access to their information.

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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, 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 www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.