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*If you receive a letter from FEMA that you disagree with, we encourage you to file an appeal. Many of the ineligibility mistakes are due to clerical errors. If you appeal, there may be a simple fix to go from ineligible to eligible.

*Survivors who may still have questions regarding temporary sheltering or housing should visit a Disaster Recovery Center in
their area or contact our helpline at 800-621-3362.

Disaster Recovery Centers:

Ascension Parish
Lamar Dixon Expo Center
9039 St. Landry Avenue, Gonzales, LA 70737
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

East Baton Rouge Parish
10000 Celtic Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Sunday)

New Hope Outreach Center
5856 Greenwell Springs Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

St. Louis King of France Catholic Church
Queen Blanche Room
2121 N. Sherwood Forest Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70815
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Baker Council on Aging
3334 Jefferson Street, Baker, LA 70714
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Sunday)

2nd Baptist Church
914 N. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday

Zachary Men’s Club
5746 Rollins Road, Zachary, LA 70791
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

City of Central Parking Lot-Mobile DRC .
13421 Hooper Rd, Central, LA 70818
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

East Feliciana Parish
Early Learning Center Gym
9414 Plank Rd., Clinton, LA 70722
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Iberville Parish
East Iberville Gym
3285 Highway 75, St. Gabriel, LA 70776
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Livingston Parish
North Park Recreation Center
30372 Eden Church Road, Denham Springs, LA 70726
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

American Legion Hall
26200 Highway 43, Springfield, LA 70733
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Bass Pro Shops (MDRC)
175 Bass Pro Boulevard, Denham Springs, LA 70726
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Sunday)

St. Joseph Catholic Church - Mobile DRC
15710 Highway 16, French Settlement, LA 70733
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Recreation Center at Sidney Hutchinson Park Mobile DRC
13470 Ball Park Road, Walker, LA 70785

Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Sunday)

Pointe Coupee Parish (MDRC)
1200 Major Parkway, New Roads, LA 70660
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

St. Helena Parish
St. Helena Environmental Health Unit
53 N. 2nd St., Greensburg, LA 70441
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

To find the nearest Disaster Recovery Center, log on with any computer, smartphone or tablet to the disaster recovery center locator at asd.fema.gov/inter/locator or use the FEMA
app, available via the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

*Scam artists continue to prey on Louisiana survivors. Federal aid agencies will never solicit your personal information, such as Social Security and bank account
numbers, via texts or phone calls. Report any suspicions of fraud by calling the Louisiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection hotline at 800-351-4889 or law
enforcement immediately. Your call may save another survivor from becoming a victim of fraud.

*National Flood Insurance Program Substantial Damage

• “Substantial Damage” is a standard defined in the National Flood Insurance Program.
• It occurs when the total cost of repairs is 50 percent or more of the predamage value of the property.
• Each participating NFIP community defines how repair cost is estimated.
• Damage determination must be consistent within a community.
• Communities may adopt standards higher than NFIP minimums.
• All residents of the community have to comply with those higher standards.
• Insured owners in Special Flood Hazard Area may be able to receive up to $30,000 in additional funds from NFIP to elevate, relocate or demolish the structure.

*National Flood Insurance Program

• As of September 6, 2016, more than 28,500 claims have been submitted.
• FEMA has authorized and issued more than $236 million in claims with almost $228 in advance payments to NFIP policyholders in Louisiana who sustained damages by the flood, providing expedited relief to disaster survivors.
• Paying up to 50 percent of the estimated covered loss allows the policyholder the ability to proceed with recovery efforts while negotiating the proof of loss with the adjuster.
• There is information regarding how to file a claim and how to register for assistance on our disaster-specific FEMA website: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4277.
• The Flood Response Office (FRO) is open and located in Covington, LA.
• Due to the damage and displacement caused by recent flooding, the grace period to renew flood insurance policies has been extended to 120 days, for certain parishes in Louisiana.
• Flood insurance is one of the best ways to protect homeowners and renters from financial impacts of flood events.
• Even those who have flood insurance may be eligible for FEMA assistance to supplement coverage. However, FEMA cannot duplicate insurance benefits.

*Housing Options in Louisiana:

• As recovery continues, Louisiana survivors whose homes were flooded and are now uninhabitable have a number of available housing and sheltering options.
• Housing solutions continue to be a top priority. From the day the disaster declaration was signed, we have collaborated with our state, local and federal partners to find workable alternatives. The state-led housing task force has identified and executed strategies and programs that continue to help Louisiana residents displaced by the storms find places to stay while they rebuild and recover.
• One of the greatest challenges at this stage of the disaster is to provide a mediumtermhousing option for those who lost homes to the flooding.

Short Term:

• For those who are eligible for FEMA assistance, FEMA transitional sheltering assistance provides lodging to displaced survivors who need a roof over their heads immediately. FEMA pays the hotel/motels directly; funds are not disbursed to survivors for this.
• In the short term, some have been able to stay in hotels or with friends and family. Shelters opened by the Red Cross and other voluntary agencies also have been a resource for others.
• FEMA is working with HUD, the Red Cross and other voluntary agencies to assess the needs of individuals who remain in shelters and to connect these survivors with the resources most suited for their needs. This includes the support that voluntary agencies can provide to clean out flood damage to homes (e.g., carpeting, drywall).

Medium Term

• Many residents need an intermediate step between these short-term options and their longer-term housing solutions. The timeframe to repair a damaged home or build a new one may be lengthy.
• We are also assisting to find volunteers to help homeowners get their homes mucked out and dried before mold develops. FEMA issued a mission assignment to Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) for AmeriCorps, including FEMA Corps and AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams.
• Thirty-two AmeriCorps teams are deployed to support shelter operations, home clean-up operations, survivor call centers and disaster survivor assistance teams.
• Twelve teams were conducting muck-and-gut operations as of Sept. 6 a total of 189 homes have been assessed for muck-outs.
• The state coordinated “Shelter at Home” program coordinates the repairs to homes that have sustained less than $15,000 worth of damage. As of Sept. 6, the state had
• received 16,710 applications.
• This program is a partially FEMA-funded program, but survivors must register with the state. For information on this program, call 800-927-0216 or go to: https://shelterathome.la.gov/.
• Work can include items such as mucking out the house, basic electrical restoration, installing a basic water heater, removing wet wall insulation, etc.
• Participation in the “Shelter at Home” program will not affect any FEMA assistance.
• In addition, FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program provides financial assistance in the form of grants to Louisiana survivors with uninsured or underinsured flood related losses.
• The most common form of financial assistance for temporary housing is rental assistance. Survivors may use the rental assistance to obtain temporary housing such as a house, apartment, hotel, motel, manufactured home, recreational vehicle, or other readily-fabricateddwelling available for rent by the public. Rental assistance payments for temporary housing are for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to two months for individuals and households who apply for FEMA assistance through www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY).Individual Assistance grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance help homeowners make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional.
• Through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, under Other Needs Assistance, survivors may qualify for cleaningsupplies. Eligible items must be purchased or rented after the incident to assist with the applicant’s disaster recovery, such as gaining access to the property or assisting with cleaning efforts. Certain moving and storage expenses may be compensated under Other Needs Assistance.
• Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance. Loans available up to $200,000 for primary residence; $40,000 for personal property, including renter losses. Loans are available up to $2 million for business property losses. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
• Through the Multi-family Lease and Repair Program (MLRP), FEMA may contract with a property owner to provide funds for repair, or contract directly to implement repairs, to multi-family housing to make temporary housing available for individuals and households eligible for FEMA assistance. The MLRP may provide funds to make rental units livable again in order to lease them to provide temporary housing to eligible disaster survivors. Repairs or improvements don’t need to be storm-or-flood-related. Property owners may choose their own contractors after agreeing on repair costs with FEMA. Interested property owners can call 225-382-1464 or email fema-iadhops@fema.dhs.gov.

Last Resort

• The option of last resort, when all other resources have been exhausted, is the use of manufactured housing units, or MHUs.
• Those who have a housing need should call FEMA’s registration number.
• The most appropriate type of housing assistance for each applicant depends on the particular needs of the individual or family.
• Some of the factors that need to be addressed in order to have MHUs ready for survivors to move in include the following:
• FEMA interview with the survivor;
• Identifying feasible sites that can accommodate the housing units;
• Securing appropriate permits from the local jurisdiction; Clearing debris from identified feasible sites
• Inspect the sites to ensure it is safe;
• Install the units on site and have them inspected by the parish; and
• Work with the survivor to receive a legal license agreement to live in the unit.

*Disaster Unemployment Assistance
The deadline for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is October 14, 2016 for residents of all declared parishes. Disaster Unemployment Assistance: www.laworks.net or call 866-783-5567.