FEMA Encourages Elderly, Disabled To Register For Disaster Relief
Release Date: January 11, 2006
Release Number: 1603-269
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness are encouraging all elderly and disabled disaster victims to register for disaster assistance.
“Disasters can create special hardships for seniors and people with disabilities,” said Scott Wells, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer. “They may not have registered for disaster assistance. They may be unsure how to register, or they may need help with the process of getting assistance.”
Working with local agencies, FEMA’s Special Needs team identifies people who need extra help and connects them with the appropriate agencies and services.
One of the first tasks for the Special Needs team is to make sure that victims have registered to start the assistance process. For assistance, residents should call the toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for hearing- or speech-impaired individuals. Each number operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Secondly, individuals may visit face to face with federal, state and voluntary agencies at one of the 32 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC’s) across Louisiana.
If critical unmet needs still exist, additional contacts include:
- Louisiana Hurricane Housing Hotline (if you need immediate housing) 1-800-762-8740
- American Red Cross-Helpline at 1-866-438-4636
- The Salvation Army-Emergency Needs 1-800-725-2769
- Crisis counseling for Louisiana hurricane victims 1-800-273-8255
- The Louisiana Office of Elderly Affairs at 225-342-7100 (www.louisiana.gov/elderlyaffairs/) can direct elderly residents to meal programs, Meals on Wheels access, transportation services legal assistance, monitoring of live-alone residents and SHINE counseling (Senior Health Insurance Needs of Elderly/Handicapped).
“When calling, applicants should mention any special needs they have relating to age or disability,” Wells said. Once the vital first step of registration is done, team members can help by answering applicants’ questions about assistance programs and referring people to the volunteer organization or local agency that can work on specific problems, like temporary housing, medical needs or scheduling home inspections.
FEMA is going to be in Louisiana for as long as it takes to get assistance to every qualified individual who has suffered hurricane damage. We do not want anyone to be left behind. If you have a neighbor, friend or relative needing assistance, let them know the first step to recovery is to register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing- or speech-impaired.
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.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Jan-2006 14:17:06