BATON ROUGE — President Joe Biden has approved Louisiana’s request for a disaster declaration following Hurricane Francine, providing federal assistance to recovery efforts in multiple parishes.
It comes after Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency ahead of Francine. After the storm, Congressman Garret Graves, who represents some of the hardest-hit areas of the state, toured the destruction left behind by the category two hurricane.
“Francine delivered a hard blow to areas still recovering from Ida with intense rainfall, flooding, debris and damage. This declaration is welcome news — because we specifically requested it — but the assistance needs to be quick and impactful, not tangled up in the already slow Ida recovery,” said Congressman Graves.
What this means for you
Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne Parishes are covered under the federal declaration for assistance. More parishes may be added at a later time.
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE
Residents and business owners who received damages from Francine in the included parishes can now apply for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-FEMA (3362) for more information. You can also download and use the FEMA app.
The federal aid supports temporary housing, home repairs, and low-cost loans for uninsured property damage for residents and businesses.
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (Assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities):
After declaring a state of emergency, Governor Landry later requested additional federal assistance through FEMA. This request included requests for assistance with debris removal and emergency protective measures with a proposed federal cost share of these categories for 30 days. This would take the burden off of parish governments.
Landy’s request for individual and public assistance was for the following parishes: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche,
Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St.
Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, and West Baton Rouge.
Biden’s approval, however, gives aid to the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance.
Following the major disaster declaration approval, Ascension Parish has informed residents that the parish will now offer roadside debris pickup services. Previously, residents were asked to bring only vegetation debris to two unmanned dumpster locations in the parish.
Assumption Parish started curbside pickups of debris over the weekend, and asked residents to separate debris into different piles based on material.
HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM
According to GOHSEP, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding for hazard mitigation measures following a federally declared disaster. These are any actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks to people and property from natural hazards, such as hurricanes.
HMGP funding is made available, when authorized, to the state based on the estimated total federal assistance FEMA provides for disaster recovery under the Presidential declaration.
All areas in the State of Louisiana are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
More to come?
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. The state and parish governments are asking residents to fill out a survey to report home damage (residential structures only, no vehicles).
Information collected from the survey will help parish, state and federal authorities better understand the location and severity of damage impacts. It can also be used to expedite individual assistance, however, this does not take the place of filing a claim with their insurance company. It also does not guarantee federal assistance.
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