BATON ROUGE – Renters who experienced losses from last week’s historic flooding may be eligible for federal disaster aid.

According to a FEMA statement Friday, renters may be eligible for grants from FEMA to cover certain disaster related expenses, including:

Disaster related medical and dental expenses

Replacement or repair of necessary personal property (appliances and furniture, textbooks, computers used by students and work equipment for the self-employed)

Repair or replacement of vehicles damaged by the disaster

Disaster related funeral and burial expenses

FEMA grants are not loans and do not need to be repaid. FEMA says the grants are also not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, welfare assistance, SNAP benefits or other programs.

Renters may also qualify for a low-interest loan up to $40,000 from the SBA to repair or replace personal property.

Residents can apply for aid online with any computer, smartphone or tablet at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. . The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.