Parish Designated For Additional Assistance 

Release Date: October 18, 2005
Release Number: 1603-094

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BATON ROUGE, LA. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in conjunction with Louisiana officials, announced today that Individual Assistance for St. Tammany parish has been made available to help homeowners, renters and business owners recover from the effects of Hurricane Rita. The parish was previously designated for public assistance programs for emergency services and eligible debris removal.

The number of parishes now eligible for Individual Assistance in the wake of Hurricane Rita stands at 23. Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Plaquemines, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, and West Baton Rouge parishes had been designated earlier.

Federal, state and local officials announced that the parish was added after further federal/state damage assessments. Damage assessments are ongoing and more parishes may be designated for additional assistance at a later date after further evaluation.

Individual Assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses not met by insurance or other aid programs. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Affected residents and business owners in the designated parishes can begin the disaster application process by calling the toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice. Those with a speech or hearing impairment can call a special TTY number at 1-800-462-7585 . Applicants can also register online at www.fema.gov .

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003 .

Last Modified: Wednesday, 19-Oct-2005 07:22:55