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FEMA: $2.5 billion in aid provided for Ida recovery

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Posted at 12:16 PM, Dec 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-01 13:16:20-05

It’s been three months since Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana as the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever strike the U.S. As Louisianans rebuild, over $2.5 billion in federal grants, loans and flood insurance payments support their ongoing recovery.

Here's a list of what FEMA officials classify as Major Accomplishments:

▪ More than $2.5 billion in federal assistance has been provided to survivors to date, including:
o $1.1 billion in low-interest Small Business Administration loans for families and businesses.
o $580 million in housing assistance for homeowners and renters.
o $441 million for other needs assistance, including medical bills, vehicle replacement, and cleaning.
o $513 million in National Flood Insurance Program claims.
o $2.7 million for Disaster Unemployment Insurance claims.

▪ 25 Disaster Recovery Centers established across Louisiana, 8 of which are still open, operating, and available to assist survivors.
o Over 552,000 Louisianans have been approved for individual assistance, while FEMA staff have knocked on 186,000 doors in disaster-affected parishes.

▪ At the peak, 22,183 survivors were temporarily sheltered in hotels and other transitional lodging.

▪ FEMA Mitigation Specialists have offered free rebuilding and repair advice to over 14,608 survivors.

▪ 152,142 survivors received expedited rental assistance for utility outages, inaccessible or damaged dwellings.
o 96,941 were lower income applicants who would have otherwise received delayed assistance or no assistance at all.

▪ $27.8 million in public assistance grants currently obligated for local governments and nonprofits.

▪ 33,625 “Blue Roofs” installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allowing survivors to live safely in their damaged residences while making permanent repairs.
o USACE, in cooperation with the FEMA and the state of Louisiana, launched a pilot program to explore temporary roofing options for homes that were otherwise ineligible for Blue Roofs. The program, called Roof Wrap, focused on using shrink wrap materials that are installed under the roof via furring strips, then heated to shrink the material and create a water-tight seal.