FEMA: federal aid to flooded Louisiana has passed $1 billion
BATON ROUGE – FEMA reports that federal aid to help disaster survivors has surpassed $1 billion less than four weeks after historic flooding devastated south Louisiana.
FEMA says more than 63,000 families are receiving assistance through one or more of the housing options available.
The agency approved more than $505 million in grants through the Individual Assistance program. More than $95 million has helped homes replace essential household items or moving and storage costs.
- Twenty-six (26) Disaster Recovery Centers are open across affected parts of Louisiana where survivors can receive free face-to-face recovery help from state, federal and voluntary officials.
- FEMA inspectors performed more than 114,000 home inspections. Nearly 95 percent of scheduled inspections have been completed.
- Providing funds for disaster case managers from voluntary agencies to help survivors develop recovery plans, identify recovery resources and monitor goals.
- Setting aside Disaster Unemployment Assistance funds to help people whose employment was affected by the disaster.
The FEMA report comes hours after Governor John Bel Edwards called on Congress to approve $2 billion in aid for the state. Edwards spoke at a house subcommittee hearing Friday where lawmakers reviewed the federal response to the August flooding.
The governor says money is needed for housing, economic development and public works. The flooding caused more than $8.7 billion in damage, and he says the state can't recover without the money.
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Residents can still register for federal assistance by going online to disasterassistance.gov, using the FEMA app, or by calling 800-621-3362.