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Disaster Recovery Centers Provide Assistance for People with Disabilities

BATON ROUGE, La. — Disaster Recovery Centers in the state of Louisiana are providing services to ensure that Hurricane Isaac survivors with disabilities have ready access to disaster assistance programs.

The centers are providing American Sign Language, Signed English or Tactile Sign Language interpreters to people who request these services. In addition, video phones as well as caption phones for survivors who are deaf or hard of hearing have been installed at all locations.

“Disasters affect everyone in the community”, said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “We want to make sure that everyone has accurate, timely and accessible disaster assistance information.”

There are 27 State/FEMA recovery centers operating in 18 parishes. They open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice. For a list of open centers in Louisiana go online to www.fema.gov/disaster/4080. Specialists from the state of Louisiana, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration are on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.

Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

The major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac now makes available federal assistance to eligible survivors in 21 parishes: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington and West Feliciana.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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.

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.

SBA is the federal government’s primary source of funding 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 uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).

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Disaster Recovery Centers Provide Assistance for People with Disabilities

Resident Noncitizens May Qualify For Federal Disaster Aid

BATON ROUGE, La. – Hurricane Isaac survivors who are not U.S. citizens but who are in the United States legally may be eligible for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“We don’t want anyone in Louisiana who may qualify for help to miss out on valuable disaster assistance,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall of FEMA. “Everyone, even those who are in doubt about their status, should apply and we will determine whether they are eligible.”

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals or qualified aliens to receive federal monetary assistance. The legal status of qualified aliens will not be jeopardized by applying for aid.

Qualified aliens include:

Individuals with Lawful Permanent Residency (holders of “green cards”);
Those with refugee or asylum status;
Those whose deportation has been withheld;
Those on parole in the U.S. for at least one year for humanitarian purposes;
Those with conditional entry;
Cuban or Haitian entrants; and
Those with petitions for relief based on battery or extreme cruelty by a family member.

Noncitizen nationals are people born in an outlying possession of the United States (American Samoa or Swain’s Island) on or after the date the U.S. acquired the possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. noncitizen nationals (subject to certain residency requirements).

Assistance can be given as long as someone in a household is entitled to it. For example, a parent or guardian who is not eligible for assistance can still apply on behalf of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, noncitizen national or qualified alien. The guardian only certifies for the child; no information will be gathered on the adult’s status. No information will be gathered regarding the status of other household members.

Undocumented immigrants from a household with no one eligible for federal financial assistance may still be eligible for programs run by state, local or voluntary agencies. They may also be eligible for short-term, non-cash aid from FEMA, such as crisis counseling.

People in Louisiana with uninsured or underinsured losses and damages as a result of Hurricane Isaac who live in the 21 designated parishes can register for disaster assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov or by calling 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 operating from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Under the presidential declaration, disaster assistance is available for individuals in the following parishes: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington and West Feliciana.

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Resident Noncitizens May Qualify For Federal Disaster Aid

Disaster Recovery Centers Open In Terrebonne and Plaquemines Parishes

BATON ROUGE, La. — State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers have opened in Terrebonne and Plaquemines parishes to assist homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage to their home or personal property as a result of Hurricane Isaac.

Specialists from the state of Louisiana, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.

The new centers are located outdoors at:

TERREBONNE PARISH

Houma Civic Center

346 Civic Center Blvd.

Houma, LA 70360

Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice

PLAQUEMINES PARISH

28028 Hwy. 23

Port Sulphur, LA 70083

Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice

This is the second recovery center operating in Plaquemines Parish. Another remains open in Belle Chase.

This brings to 20 the number of centers operating in 15 parishes. More recovery centers will open as sites are identified and approved. For a list of open centers in Louisiana go online to www.fema.gov/disaster/4080.

Applying for disaster assistance is quick and simple. Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

SBA offers federal low-interest disaster loans to residents and businesses. After registering with FEMA, visit any Disaster Recovery Center where SBA representatives will answer questions, explain the application process and help each resident or business owner apply to SBA. For SBA information or to apply online, visit www.sba.gov or call 1-800-659-2955. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 1-800-877-8339.

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Disaster Recovery Centers Open In Terrebonne and Plaquemines Parishes

Hurricane Isaac Recovery Marks Milestones in Helping Survivors

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its state and local partners are marking three milestones in Louisiana’s recovery from Hurricane Isaac:

$100 million in approved disaster assistance;
10,000 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers;
And approaching 100,000 housing inspections;

“Disaster assistance is getting where it is needed, to the individuals, families and communities affected by Hurricane Isaac,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall of FEMA. “The rebuilding effort is happening, and FEMA is continuing to support our local, state and federal partners as they recover.”

In the 16 days since the major disaster declaration, $100,961,288 in disaster assistance has been approved for Louisiana. That total includes $69,790,187 in Individual Assistance grants and $272,000 in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans for qualified homeowners, renters and business owners.

Public Assistance funds have reached $30,899,351 for eligible state agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in designated parishes that provide critical and essential services to the general public.

Meanwhile, Disaster Recovery Centers have logged 10,067 visits. Recovery centers are readily accessible facilities where applicants may go for information about FEMA, the SBA or other disaster assistance programs, or with questions related to their cases. Twenty centers are open in 15 parishes.

FEMA housing inspectors have completed 98,702 inspections during which they document damage but do not determine the applicant’s eligibility. They check for damage to the structure and building systems, to major appliances and septic systems and wells, and report the information to FEMA. This speeds up the process of providing assistance.

To date, more than 171,000 individuals and families have registered for assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov or by calling 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 operating from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

The Individual Assistance grants are going to individuals and families in 21 designated parishes: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington and West Feliciana. The grants may help pay for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make a home habitable or for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, go online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gove/blog.

Hurricane Isaac Recovery Marks Milestones in Helping Survivors

FEMA Adds Three Parishes for Individual Assistance Benefits

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisianians in three more parishes – East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and West Feliciana – can now apply for federal and state disaster assistance as the three were added Friday to the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac.

Homeowners, renters and business owners in the three parishes may now register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance and report their uninsured or underinsured property damage or destruction from the storm.

“Residents of the three parishes should register with FEMA as soon as possible,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “We have approved more than $100 million for survivors in Louisiana and we’d like to start getting help to eligible survivors in these three parishes as well.”

Disaster assistance for individuals may include:

Grants to help pay for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make a home habitable;
Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance;
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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

Residents of the parishes affected by the hurricane should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if the person has registered with another disaster-relief organization or local community or church organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card. Applicants will be asked to provide:

Social Security number
Address of the damaged home or apartment
Description of the damage
Information about insurance coverage
A current contact telephone number
An address where they can get mail
Bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance.

In the 16 days since the major disaster declaration for Louisiana, Individual Assistance has been made available in 21 parishes: Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne and Washington, and now East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and West Feliciana.

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 .

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FEMA Adds Three Parishes for Individual Assistance Benefits

Hurricane Isaac Survivors ElIgible for Disaster Legal Services

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisianians who sustained damage from Hurricane Isaac can now call the Disaster Legal Services hotline at 1-800-310-7029 for free legal assistance and counseling.

Through the hotline, volunteer lawyers can help eligible hurricane survivors with legal issues related to the hurricane. Volunteer lawyers can discuss insurance claims, landlord-tenant issues, consumer protection issues and the replacement of wills or other important documents that were lost or destroyed during the storm.

Callers should be prepared to discuss particular legal problems caused by the disaster and to provide a current contact phone number. To be eligible for this free legal assistance, they must reside in one of the 21 parishes designated for Individual Assistance under the federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac. The parishes are Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington and West Feliciana.

Disaster Legal Services is a federally funded program run under an agreement between the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana Civil Justice Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The call center operates from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Voicemails are returned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Legal assistance for Spanish-speaking callers is also available.

Hurricane 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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Hurricane Isaac Survivors ElIgible for Disaster Legal Services

Disaster Recovery Center Opens In St. Charles Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. — A State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) has opened in

St. Charles Parish to assist homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage to their home or personal property as a result of Hurricane Isaac.

The DRC is located at:

Village Square Shopping Center

737 Paul Maillard Rd., Suite A

Luling, LA 70070

Opening on: Thursday, Sept. 6, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday forward: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice

This brings to 10 the number of centers that are operating. More recovery centers will open as sites are identified and approved. For a list of open centers in Louisiana go online to www.fema.gov/disaster/4080.

Applying for disaster assistance is quick and simple. Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

SBA offers federal low-interest disaster loans to residents and businesses. After registering with FEMA, visit any Disaster Recovery Center where SBA representatives will answer questions, explain the application process and help each resident or business owner apply to SBA. For SBA information or to apply online, visit www.sba.gov or call 1-800-659-2955. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 1-800-877-8339.

The major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac now makes available federal assistance to eligible survivors in 16 parishes: Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne and Washington.

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Disaster Recovery Center Opens In St. Charles Parish

Five More Parishes Added For FEMA Individual Assistance

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisianians in five more parishes — Assumption, St. Helena, St. James, Terrebonne and Washington — can now apply for federal and state disaster assistance, as they were added Thursday to the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac.

Homeowners, renters and business owners in the five parishes may now register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance, and report their uninsured or underinsured property damage or destruction from the storm.

“The disaster designation for these extra parishes will allow us to rush assistance to many more eligible hurricane survivors in Louisiana,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall. “Survivors in all 16 parishes now designated for Individual Assistance should register with FEMA as soon as possible.”

Just eight days since the major disaster declaration for Louisiana, Individual Assistance (IA) has been made available in 16 parishes. The other 11 are Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.

Disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured individuals may include:

Grants to help pay for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make a home habitable;
Grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance;
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

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

Assumption, St. Helena, St. James, Terrebonne and Washington residents affected by the hurricane, along with the residents of the other IA parishes, should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Social Security number
Address of the damaged home or apartment
Description of the damage
Information about insurance coverage
A current contact telephone number
An address where they can get mail
Bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance.

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Five More Parishes Added For FEMA Individual Assistance

FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight the Highway 141 Fire

SEATTLE, Wash — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Highway 141 Fire Complex burning in Klickitat County, Washington.

FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Sharon Loper approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) on September 5, 2012. At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 430 primary homes in subdivisions near the city of White Salmon – local area population of 3,000. Major power transmission lines were also being threatened. Approximately 120 people have evacuated the area and one shelter is open. The fire started on September 5, 2012, and has burned approximately 1,570 acres of private land.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of Washington eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants provide reimbursement for firefighting and life-saving efforts. They do not provide assistance to individuals, homeowners or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

Fire Management Assistance Grants are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and 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.

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FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight the Highway 141 Fire

Duluth Area Residents Part of FEMA Disaster Recovery Team

Duluth, Minn. – When the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responds to areas affected by disaster, people from all over the United States come to help in the recovery efforts. Minnesota is no exception, with FEMA disaster reservists deployed from more than 30 states, from California to Connecticut, from Texas to New York and from Washington to Maine.

FEMA is also committed to hiring locally. Working with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, FEMA has expanded its disaster assistance team to include several people from the Duluth area. The hiring of local unemployed individuals provides FEMA and its state and local partners with skills and insight that enhances efforts to help communities affected by recent severe storms get back on their feet.

“FEMA recognizes the importance of helping others in their time of need. This includes helping some very qualified individuals in search of employment to be hired to help their communities; helping others get back on the job is a win-win for everyone, “said Federal Coordinating Officer Mark Neveau.

The positions filled by local hires range from administrative assistants to planning specialists, from media specialists to data processors to staff support. They receive introductory disaster response training and become an integral part of the recovery effort.

Corrie Voorhees of Duluth, an administrative assistant for the Command Staff, said “I’m just grateful for the opportunity. It’s going to be a great learning experience.”

Terry Bynum also of Duluth is a planning reports specialist. He’s also the former News Director with Channel 3 Television and more recently retired from the Duluth Schools as a library media specialist.

Bynum says “It gives local hires a window in seeing how the whole process works. I’ve already learned a lot about how FEMA gets involved in helping with disaster recovery.”

FEMA has hired 11 individuals to assist its staff of disaster employees at its joint field office in Duluth. They are among more than 200 applications received in response to an online advertisement posted on www.minnesotaworks.com detailing temporary, full-time work. The positions are in support of recovery efforts that are underway in the area struck by severe storms and flooding June 14-21, 2012.

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Duluth Area Residents Part of FEMA Disaster Recovery Team

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