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NEW ORLEANS — As recovery from Hurricane Ida continues in Louisiana, through December 9, FEMA has approved 555,583 applications from households in the 25 declared parishes, paying out grants totaling $1.048 billion. FEMA said more than $48 million was paid to over 14,600 households in St. John the Baptist Parish. This includes over $15 million in repair assistance, more than $13 million in temporary rental assistance and over $18 million for other needs.

The deadline to apply for individual assistance has already passed, but FEMA remains in Louisiana to assist with long-term recovery and rebuilding following Hurricane Ida. Here’s how FEMA and its federal partners continue the mission, and what assistance survivors can still seek in the weeks and months ahead.

Individual Assistance

The work to ensure survivors receive all their eligible benefits doesn’t end when the application deadline passes. Hundreds of personnel on the ground in Louisiana, along with their colleagues on the FEMA Helpline, are reaching out to survivors to follow through with their applications, process their appeals, and get assistance money into their pockets.

At the same time, 104 FEMA inspection staff are wrapping up the last 1,175 outstanding inspections of damaged property—out of a total of a 485,000 completed thus far, or a completion rate of 99%. In St. John the Baptist Parish, 50 inspections are pending and 13,725 inspections are completed.

Starting in mid-December, FEMA will be conducting an additional outreach campaign to call survivors who registered for assistance but haven’t stayed in contact. Sometimes FEMA needs more information from you to complete or correct an application for assistance. Call 800-621-3362 to talk to FEMA.

Public Assistance

FEMA has approved $44.2 million for 17 public assistance projects benefitting local governments and nonprofits, with hundreds of additional potential projects in the pipeline. The deadline to apply for public assistance is Dec. 28. Learn more about the public assistance program by visiting www.fema.gov/assistance/public/apply or register through the Grants Portal at grantee.fema.gov/

Transitional Sheltering

Transitional sheltering staff are working with 683 hotels in nine states to host 3,887 households still in need of permanent housing, and 479 households are from St. John the Baptist Parish.

FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons

FEMA voluntary agency liaisons are out in the community working with faith-based and other volunteer groups to connect survivors with additional housing options, address immediate and unmet needs, and to form long-term recovery groups to bolster the capacity of every affected parish to support its own recovery. VALs have coordinated with Crisis Cleanup, a collaborative disaster work order management platform that improves coordination and reduces duplication of effort. To date, Crisis Cleanup has helped over 8,000 households and individuals get free debris cleanup and repair assistance. Learn more about VALs, visit the FEMA VAL page.

Mitigation

If you’ve visited your local hardware store in the last several months, you may have seen a FEMA mitigation team offering free rebuilding advice to survivors. Recovering from one disaster can lead to being better prepared for the next, which is why mitigation teams will continue to be available on the Mitigation Helpline at 833-FEMA-4-US or 833-336-2487. Survivors can also send an email to FEMA-LAMit@fema.dhs.gov  or visit https://fema.connectsolutions.com/lamit, https://fema.connectsolutions.com/la-es-mit for Spanish or https://fema.connectsolutions.com/la-vie-mit for Vietnamese.

Local Hires

FEMA is seeking to hire at least 150 Louisianans to aid in the recovery of the community and help their fellow citizens in the recovery process. A local hire’s term of employment is up to 120 days, with the possibility of extension. It’s an investment in Louisianans, for Louisianans, for the long haul. Interested in applying, or know someone who would be a perfect fit? Search through current FEMA positions on USAJobs.gov.

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) and Disaster Loan Outreach Centers

8 DRCs remain open and available to Ida survivors throughout Louisiana. DRCs are a one stop shop for survivors who want to follow up with their applications for assistance, update their information, or learn about ways to make their homes more disaster resistant. A current list of active DRCs is available online through the DRC locator.

One of the eight DRCs is in St. John the Baptist Parish. It is operating in the Garyville Library parking lot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

In the coming months many DRCs will transition into Disaster Loan Outreach Centers (DLOCs) staffed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. DLOC staff will be able to assist survivors who have questions about or need help with their existing SBA loan applications. There are currently 5 active DLOC sites in Louisiana. For information on DLOCs and other disaster loan related questions, contact the SBA at 800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov