Disaster assistance for hurricane survivors tops $10M

BATON ROUGE, La. – Just one week since the Aug. 29 major disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana, more than $10 million in state and federal disaster assistance is headed to survivors in the state, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials said Tuesday.

More than $8.7 million in Housing Assistance and more than $1.5 million in Other Needs Assistance has been approved for Louisiana hurricane survivors.

“While $10 million in one week is a good start, we know there is much more to disaster recovery than dollars,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall of FEMA. “Disaster recovery takes a whole community and FEMA is just one part of the team. Working together as one team, we believe we can achieve a speedy recovery.”

To date, more than 117,000 individuals and families have registered for assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services may call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are operating from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Housing assistance is provided to individuals, families and businesses in parishes designated for disaster assistance whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not fully covered by insurance. This assistance is not intended to restore damaged property to its condition prior to the disaster.

Other Needs Assistance can be used to repair or replace personal property damaged or destroyed during the disaster, for transportation costs, or for medical, dental, funeral and burial expenses.