BATON ROUGE - FEMA will extend the time flood evacuees will be able to stay in rooms paid for by the federal government.

Many people have been staying in area hotels since the August 2016 flood. FEMA is providing assistance through its disaster relief programs. The assistance was set to expire this week, but it has been extended.

Last week, FEMA announced it would also provide reimbursement to others who were staying in hotels out-of-pocket.

FEMA will continue to cover lodging expenses until November 18.  The agency will alert those taking advantage of the program.

Louisiana asked for the extension because of a lack of "rental resources and because of significant, widespread damage to homes throughout Louisiana," the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said in a statement. 

There are currently 2,426 households in the program checked into 261 hotels in nine states.  FEMA covers the lodging bill for people who were displaced by the flood, have registered with FEMA and are living out of a car, mass shelter or place of employment.

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