Update: FEMA-State Recovery Window Begins To Close; Approved Aid Total Tops $137 Million, 143,000 Apply
Release Date: November 15, 2002
Release Number: 1437-133
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Lili
Baton Rouge, LA -- Disaster aid checks continued to pour out and requests for assistance continued to flow in, as more than $18.8 million in new aid was approved and 10,104 new registrations were recorded in the latest week of joint federal-state recovery operations according to statistics compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Carlos Mitchell, federal coordinating officer, said that the pace of new registrations was not unusual at this stage of a disaster recovery.
Mitchell explained, "Many residents are just now getting their final insurance checks and finding out that they were underinsured or that some damages or losses were not covered." He said that by registering now for assistance programs, individuals and households could keep the option open for possible FEMA-state help to cover losses and damages not covered by insurance.
"To get under our assistance umbrella, you must first register by calling 800-621-FEMA before Dec. 2," Mitchell said. Speech or hearing-impaired residents using keyboard interfaces should call (TTY/TDD) 800-462-7585. The lines are open from 8a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon. through Sat.
Residents in 39 parishes declared eligible due to damage caused by Tropical Storm Isidore or Hurricane Lili may apply for recovery aid including grants for emergency disaster housing and essential repairs, individual and family grants for necessities not covered by insurance or other sources and low-interest loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
State Coordinating Officer Art Jones said that through close-of-business Nov. 14, 143,262 parish residents have signed up for a wide variety of recovery programs and a total of $137,524,824 has been approved in grants and loans to help individuals, households and businesses.
"Don't disqualify yourself by not picking up the phone to register," Jones said. "The programs we have in place will help start people on the road back, but we have to hear about your losses before we can see if we can help."
A snapshot of individual assistance (IA) recovery totals: (through COB, Thurs. Nov.14):
- $53.7 million for housing assistance for approved applicants;
- $52.8 million in approved grants to individuals and households; and
- $31 million in SBA low-interest loans to approved homeowners and businesses incurring uninsured losses
| Registrations by Parish | Total 143,262 (39 Parishes- Individual Assistance) |
|---|---|
| Acadia | 4,127 |
| Allen | 337 |
| Ascension | 1,354 |
| Assumption | 1,354 |
| Avoyelles | 1,444 |
| Beauregard | 15 |
| Calcasieu | 137 |
| Cameron | 39 |
| E. Baton Rouge | 8,492 |
| E. Feliciana | 855 |
| Evangeline | 2,206 |
| Grant* | 56 |
| Iberia | 6,608 |
| Iberville | 1,598 |
| Jefferson | 12,186 |
| Jefferson Davis | 1,087 |
| La Salle* | 52 |
| Lafayette | 6,395 |
| Lafourche | 1,653 |
| Livingston | 898 |
| Orleans | 43,844 |
| Ouachita* | 89 |
| Plaquemines | 1,560 |
| Pointe Coupee | 936 |
| Rapides | 1,252 |
| St. Bernard | 2,193 |
| St. Charles | 1,837 |
| St. Helena | 781 |
| St. James | 1,539 |
| St. John | |
| The Baptist | 2,777 |
| St. Landry | 5,019 |
| St. Martin | 3,260 |
| St. Mary | 4,377 |
| St. Tammany | 2,997 |
| Tangipahoa | 6,860 |
| Terrebonne | 5,788 |
| Vermilion | 4,943 |
| Washington | 1,687 |
| W. Baton Rouge | 630 |
*Declared eligible Nov. 1
Last Modified: Friday, 25-Apr-2003 10:22:18