FEMA Funds Relocation of Displaced Residents
Release Date: August 27, 2007
Release Number: 1603-690
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today a reimbursement program that will provide relocation assistance to disaster victims displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The damage and destruction caused by the hurricanes resulted in temporary relocation of many of Louisiana's residents to various locations within and outside the state of Louisiana.
If returning to Louisiana, applicants must relocate to housing that is not provided by FEMA and is not a hotel or motel. For those families that are already living in Louisiana in FEMA travel trailers or mobile homes, FEMA will pay moving expenses to a FEMA-funded rental resource anywhere in the continental United States.
The program will reimburse eligible applicants for relocation expenses up to $4,000 that were incurred between February 1, 2006 and February 29, 2008. Relocation expenses may not exceed the FEMA Individuals and Households Program (IHP) cap and the applicant must not have received funds from any other state, federal, or voluntary agency subsidized travel home program.
To be eligible for the program, the applicant must have been displaced from their primary residence in a disaster-declared area as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and have incurred or will incur relocation travel expenses within the defined period.
Relocation Assistance will be limited to travel costs including airfare, train, bus and/or a rental vehicle. Furniture transportation expenses also are eligible, including commercially rented equipment for hauling and commercially purchased moving materials or moving services. Mileage, gas and other travel-related expenses such as food, incurred while using a privately owned vehicle are not eligible costs. Moving costs for recreational or large luxury items such as boats or recreational vehicles are not eligible expenses under this program either.
For more information on FEMA's Relocation Assistance program or to request reimbursement of relocation expenses, call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) (TTY: 1-800-462-7585). To prevent duplication of benefits, an applicant is only eligible to receive relocation assistance under either Hurricane Katrina (DR-1603-LA) or Hurricane Rita (DR-1607-LA), not both.
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: Monday, 27-Aug-2007 15:11:01