If you have been affected or know someone affected by the flood in South Louisiana, please use the below information I’ve compiled as a resource to seek shelter, apply for aid or to answer any other questions you may have. Also, please share this link with anyone who may need it.
Below you will find information on:
· FEMA and other aid
· Housing
· Legislative Update
1. Applying for Assistance
Twenty Louisiana parishes are eligible for federal assistance including: Acadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermillion, Washington, and West Feliciana.
For federal help, register with FEMA at www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA. Those with a speech or hearing impediment can call 1-800-462-7585.
2. FEMA Checklist
You and any applicants or minors in your home but be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien to apply for FEMA help. You will also need the following information before reaching out to FEMA at www.disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-FEMA.
· Social Security Number
· Insurance information: home, auto, flood, mobile home, etc
· A list of all the damages caused to your property or vehicle
· Financial information including family’s annual gross income at the time of the flood
· Your contact info including address and phone number where the damages occurred and where you can be reached now.
· Banking information if you choose to have funds directly deposited
3. Other FEMA Information
Please apply online for FEMA assistance if you have never applied before. If you need help filling out the form, call the FEMA helpline between 7am and 11pm 7 days a week at 1-800-621-3362, for TTY at 1-800-462-7585, or for Video Relay Services (VRS) at 1-800-621-3362
4. Housing Assistance
Shelter assistance
With more than 60,000 households affected, many people will be in need of temporary shelter or housing. The Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) program allows people displaced by the flood to select from a selected list of locations and hotels to temporarily seek shelter.
To qualify for TSA you must be registered with FEMA and living in either your car, a hotel, mass shelter or at work to be eligible. FEMA will reach out to everyone who qualifies with further instructions.
Renting
The Louisiana Housing Corporation has set up a website to help victims displaced by the flood find apartments or houses to rent until they find a permanent residence. Property owners can also list their residences on the site to help increase the available places for people to stay.
Payments can either be made out of pocket, through a Section 8 Housing Voucher, or through FEMA individual Assistance money.
For more information go to www.Lahousingsearch.org
Temp Housing Assistance
For those eligible, FEMA is offering temporary housing for up to 18 months in mobile homes, or multifamily housing units leased by FEMA. To be eligible, applicants must show that they are in need of continued housing, and that they are working on finding a permanent home.
You can apply at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.
Shelter at Home Program
Another option is for eligible individuals or families to live in their current home while they rebuild and are eligible for up to $15,000 in repairs that include gutting the house, basic electrical work, water heater installation and basic appliances. There is no cost to the home owner if they qualify.
To apply for this program visit www.shelterathome.la.gov/ or call 1-800-927-0216.
5. Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program
Any household that qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assitance Program (SNAP) is automatically eligible for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program (DSNAP). Parishes in the DSNAP area will be given additional SNAP benefits added to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) if they are not already receiving the maximum allowance.
Residents in the affected areas should pre-register for the DSNAP benefits at www.dcfs.la.gov/preregister or by calling 1-888-524-3578.
6. Legislative Update
8/19/16 – Congressman Fleming visits with Trump and Pence in East Baton Rouge to discuss flood impact.
8/25/16 - Congressman Fleming participates in a delegation tour of the flood damage coordinated by Senator Vitter. Visits with SBA administrator to discuss business loans.
8/26/16 – Congressman Fleming signs a delegation letter in support of increasing the federal cost share for disaster relief to 90% and counting damages for both the March and August flood events.
8/29/16 – Congressman Fleming meets with the Congressional delegation and Governor Edwards about the federal response to the floods.
9/1/16 – Louisiana delegation Congressional staff, including from Congressman Fleming’s office, meet to discuss legislation and funding to help affected Louisianans recover.
9/28/16 - Congressman Fleming votes for a flood relief package that includes $500 million in grants for flood victims impacted by major disaster declarations in 2016.
Additional links and numbers to call:
· FEMA Disaster Assistance Hotline: www.disasterassistance.gov/ 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY)
· SBA’s Disaster Customer Service Center: www.sba.gov/disaster or 1-800-659-2955
· Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness: http://gohsep.la.gov/ or 225-925-7500
· Louisiana Department of Insurance: http://www.Idi.la.gov/ or 1-800-259-5300
· Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Complaint.aspx or 1-800-351-4889
