La. Disaster Aid Deadline Extended

The State of Louisiana and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the deadline to apply for disaster aid for damages stemming from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is being extended to Jan. 11, 2006.

“There are still hundreds of people registering every day,” said Vice Admiral Thad Allen, principal federal official and federal coordinating officer for the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. “We don’t want people with uninsured damages to their homes or businesses to miss the chance to register. That is why we are extending the deadline.”

Jan. 11, 2006 will now be the last day for residents to apply for state and federal disaster assistance to help them recover from the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast . Jan. 11, 2006 will also now be the deadline for submitting applications for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

All that is required to apply for disaster assistance is one toll-free phone call to FEMA. That number is

1-800-621-FEMA (3362) , or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for people who are speech- or hearing-impaired. Lines are open 24-hours a day, seven days a week until further notice. Hurricane victims may also register online at www.fema.gov or they can get assistance in registering at any Disaster Recovery Center (DRC).

For those people who suffered damages from Hurricane Katrina , assistance is available to any eligible resident of the 31 designated Louisiana parishes who suffered uninsured or under-insured losses due to the hurricane and flooding.

The 31 designated parishes are: Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

For those people who suffered damages from Hurricane Rita , assistance is available to any eligible resident of the 22 designated parishes who suffered uninsured and under-insured losses due to the hurricane and flooding.

The 22 designated counties are Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard, Evangeline , Iberia , Jefferson, Jefferson Davies, Lafayette , Lafourche, Livingston, Plaquemines, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon , and West Baton Rouge .

After the application deadline, FEMA’s toll-free phone line still will be available to assist those who have already registered. Applicants who have questions about the disaster assistance programs or questions about the status of their previously filed applications should continue to use FEMA’s toll-free number.

To date, nearly 1.4 million residents of the state have applied for aid, and $2.57 billion dollars have been approved.