Isidore, Lili One-Month Recovery Efforts Top $100 Million
Release Date: November 1, 2002
Release Number: 1435-109
» More Information on Louisiana Tropical Storm Isidore
Baton Rouge, LA -- Recovery costs of federal and state assistance programs during the first month since Tropical Storm Isidore and Hurricane Lili hit 44 Louisiana parishes today topped the $100 million mark.
Carlos Mitchell, who oversees federal programs in the disaster area, cited assistance summaries from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP). He said that at the end of the first month of recovery, figures show:
- A total of 122,137 people registered for disaster assistance;
- 11,264 persons visited the seven fixed Disaster Recover Centers (DRCs) and two mobile DRCs in 19 locations for application information, or to check on the status of an application;
- $41,380,118 was disbursed for disaster housing;
- $40,457,749 was approved for individual and family grants;
- $18,640,800 in low-interest, long-term loans were approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA);
- $821,244 in funding is eligible for the state, cities, parishes and private, non-profit agencies under FEMA's Public Assistance program for repair or replacement of disaster-damaged roadways, bridges, removal of debris from rights-of-way and reimbursement of emergency services. The figure is expected to rise over the coming months, officials said.
- 522 requests for assistance were filed by cities, parishes and private, non-profit agencies for federal assistance under the Public Assistance program umbrella;
- 1.3 million cubic yards of debris were removed so far from municipal and parish roadways.
- 2 million-plus meals and snacks were made available by volunteer agencies to individuals and families displaced by the storms; and
- 93,106 home inspections were requested with a total of 88,470 completed-a figure that represents 95 percent of the task.
- In all, the total of FEMA and the state funding for the 30-day period reached $101,299,911.
Additional assistance includes $448,000 obligated for crisis counseling for use over a 60-day period, plus disaster unemployment funds, emergency food stamps, and a number of special no-cost programs such as the Young Lawyers of America, a group that received about 50 calls for guidance on matters regarding assistance and insurance rights.
"A successful beginning for recovery after a major disaster occurs is always the story of people helping people," Mitchell said. "The combined efforts of FEMA, the state and numerous volunteer agencies have made it possible for tens of thousands who were in harm's way to find safe, secure housing."
State Coordinating Officer Art Jones said he was "pleased with the pace of our joint recovery work," but cautioned that much remains to be done. "Rural areas sometimes are difficult to reach by newspapers and even the electronic media, so it will require quite a bit of door-to-door contacts to truly get our message across that persons impacted by the storms should register now for needed disaster assistance."
Also during the month, FEMA's Mitigation Division was active in identifying future problem areas by conducting a series of meetings with state, parish, municipal and volunteer groups to discuss flood insurance and general mitigation approaches. Mitigation itself is making necessary plans and taking the required steps to avoid or at least lessen the loss of life or property in future disasters. Mitigation funding equals 15 percent of IA and PA program costs. Mitigation funds go for implementation of mitigation projects.
Isidore made landfall near Grand Isle in Jefferson parish on Sept. 26, 2002. Lili came ashore just one week later on Oct. 3 near Marsh Island in Iberia Parish.
Of the 44 parishes declared, 39 are for individual and family assistance. All were declared for Public Assistance.
Last Modified: Thursday, 24-Jul-2003 16:06:45