BATON ROUGE, La.— The State of Louisiana and FEMA are working together to provide direct temporary housing assistance to eligible survivors impacted by Hurricane Laura.

Direct Temporary Housing Assistance is approved for certain eligible applicants in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vernon parishes. The following forms of direct temporary housing may be provided:

  • Temporary Housing Units are readily fabricated dwellings such as travel trailers or mobile homes. These dwellings are purchased by FEMA and provided to eligible applicants for use as temporary housing for a limited period.
  • Direct Lease utilizes existing ready-for-occupancy residential property leased for use as temporary housing for eligible applicants, and, if necessary, these units can be modified or improved to provide reasonable accommodations for eligible applicants and any household members with a disability and others with access and functional needs.
  • Multi-Family Lease and Repair allows FEMA to enter into lease agreements with owners of multi-family rental properties and to make repairs or improvements to those properties in order to provide temporary housing to applicants.

Survivors who are displaced from their homes and currently staying in hotels should continue to take advantage of the state’s non-congregate sheltering program until another solution becomes available. While the state and FEMA are progressing quickly to assist in the recovery process, immediate needs may be slowed due to the shortage of rental units, the time required to prepare sites for mobile housing and travel trailers, and the time required to make repairs to properties for the lease and repair program.

Once you have registered with FEMA for assistance, no further application is required for Direct Housing.

Uninsured or underinsured applicants whose homes are verified through the FEMA housing inspection as being uninhabitable due to being destroyed or having major damage will be called by FEMA to discuss their housing situation, household size and needs, and possible FEMA temporary housing options.

Survivors with phone or internet access may register with FEMA by:

Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Hurricane Laura Disaster Loans

SBA low-interest disaster loans are available for businesses of any size and certain nonprofits up to $2 million for property damage. For small businesses, those engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million for working capital needs even if there is no property damage.

Homeowners can borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace a primary residence. For homeowners and renters, up to $40,000 to replace personal property, including vehicles, is available.

Businesses and residents can apply online at www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance or email FOCWAssistance@sba.gov. For assistance completing an SBA application, call 800-659-2955 (TTY at 800-877-8339) or emailFOCWAssistance@sba.gov

For the latest information on Hurricane Laura, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4559 or follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. For TTY call 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).