Working Together, Agencies Help Louisiana Toward Recovery
Release Date: September 15, 2008
Release Number: 1786-024
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Ike
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Gustav
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Local, state and federal workers continue to help Louisiana residents recover from Hurricane Gustav. This partnership has helped enable agencies to remain committed to their missions following Gustav and respond to Hurricane Ike as well.
As of Sept. 14, more than 358,966 residents have registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance as a result of Hurricane Gustav and 7,460 as a result of Hurricane Ike. So far, FEMA officials have approved more than $19.4 million to help individuals and households recover from Hurricane Gustav.
Here is a snapshot of some of the other agencies' activities since Hurricane Gustav hit the state.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
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The USACE has opened 18 Blue Roof Right-of-Entry collection sites and are currently identifying ROE sites or establishing an ROE collection process in the remaining 19 parishes. A total of 368 blue roofs have been installed to date. The program was limited over the weekend due to Hurricane Ike weather-related issues, but has resumed.
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USACE has installed and is maintaining 105 generators to power critical-needs facilities in the hardest hit areas.
- Two teams from USACE's 249th Engineer Battalion ("Prime Power") moved to southwestern Louisiana to assess emergency power needs following Hurricane Ike.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
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So far, SBA has deployed more than 140 people to Louisiana to help residents and businesses recover from the hurricane.
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SBA has issued 133,633 home and 33,286 business applications for a total of 166,919 applications issued to victims of Gustav.
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SBA, along with Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network, has opened five Business Counseling Centers. The centers, located in Baton Rouge, Metairie, Thibodaux, Carencro and Alexandria, will provide free one-on-one consultations with SBA customer service representatives and counselors from the Development Center Network.
- SBA has staff in Louisiana ready to meet with homeowners, renters and business owners at every Disaster Recovery Center once the DRCs reopen.
Red Cross:
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The Red Cross has served nearly 718,000 meals in the state following Gustav.
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The Red Cross opened nearly 170 shelters in Louisiana and provided nearly 800,000 overnight stays.
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Ten Red Cross kitchens remain open in Louisiana and mobile feeding stations are distributing supplies through neighborhoods.
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The Red Cross pre-positioned more than a dozen emergency response vehicles in the state in anticipation of Hurricane Ike to support sheltering efforts. They also dedicated staff and material resources to support this effort.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 16-Sep-2008 09:03:31