St. Mary added to FEMA assistance list

Officials continue to encourage possible victims to register for assistance following Hurricane Isaac. Nearly two weeks after the storm made landfall and stalled over the Tri-parish region before slowly trekking north, more areas of Louisiana have been offered federal funds.

Following Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, St. Mary Parish was approved to receive individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday while being added to a federal disaster declaration.

“St. Mary Parish has had 341 people register and already been approved for $21,737 and another $851 in other needs,” FEMA spokesman H.L. Holman said Monday from the agency’s disaster relief assistance center in Mathews.

As of that time, Terrebonne Parish individual assistance filings totaled 1,874 people approved to receive $187,994 for direct losses and another $13,393 for other needs and housing assistance.

In Lafourche Parish FEMA at that time had 2,946 people register for an approved $928,314 in household assistance and $78,472 in other needs, Holman said.

The FEMA spokesman said that once applications are completed inspectors determine ultimate eligibility. In the case of St. Mary, which saw minimal physical damage from Hurricane Isaac, eligible residents there might, as an example, include people that commute to other areas where the storm impacted their employment, Holman explained. His point was, even if one had property loss in another parish, they must apply for assistance based on where their primary residence is located.

“Once people register, we have the inspector contact them and set up an appointment to come out and look at the property,” Holman said. “At that time there won’t be any checks cut, but an assessment will be made.”

“We’ve acted swiftly to approve almost $23 million for survivors who are working to recover from the hurricane,” FEMA Coordinating Officer Mike Hall said in a printed statement.

While insurance may cover some losses, residents and business owners may report their uninsured and underinsured property damage when registering with FEMA.

Disaster assistance for individuals may include grants to help pay for temporary housing and emergency home repairs to make a damaged structure habitable.

Grants are also available to address disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance and low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

 FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but according to officials, underinsured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if the person has registered with another disaster-relief agency or local community or church organization.

“We often find that folks think they are registered with FEMA after they have contacted their parish emergency managers, disaster-relief organizations, or local community- or faith-based organizations, but they are not,” Hall said. “The only way we can get federal assistance to eligible survivors is if they are registered with FEMA.”

Registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card. Applicants will be asked to provide Social Security number, address of the damaged home or apartment, description of the damage, information about insurance coverage, a current contact telephone number, an address where they can get mail, bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance.

Since the major disaster declaration for Louisiana was issued following Hurricane Isaac, individual assistance has been made available in 18 parishes including Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, and now Iberville and St. Mary.

Holman said that more than 2,100 people from parishes that have not been designated as being in the disaster areas have filed applications for federal assistance.

“We want people to register, but understand it does not mean they are going to get anything,” Holman said. “They have to be in the presidential declaration areas first.”

Survivors registered for disaster assistance should remain in contact with FEMA, according to Hall and Holman.

“We understand survivors are going from damaged homes to shelters to hotels and rentals,” Hall sad. “Our help can reach them only if we know how to contact them.”

If survivors change their addresses, telephone numbers, bank accounts or insurance information, they should update that information with FEMA.

Hall said without accurate contact information on file with FEMA, applicants could miss important correspondence or telephone calls. Without accurate banking, eligible survivors could miss disaster assistance grants that are sent via direct deposit to accounts. 

“Survivors also sometimes think they are not eligible for federal or state assistance, but when we review their applications we find they are,” Holman said. “That’s why it’s so important that they register.”

Storm survivors can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smartphone at m.fema.gov. They may also call (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585. Those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services may call (800) 621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

For Tri-parish residents wanting to apply in person, the FEMA disaster assistance office is located at 4876 La. Highway 1 in Mathews and open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.