Recovery for many Louisianans from hurricanes Laura and Delta includes rebuilding, repairing, finding new rentals or making plans to leave the temporary housing they have been placed in.
Temporary direct housing options are provided by FEMA when no other housing options are available to qualifying survivors for up to 18 months from the dates of the disaster declarations, which are Aug. 28, 2020 for Hurricane Laura and Oct. 16, 2020 for Hurricane Delta. The scheduled end dates for applying for the direct-housing program, which applies to all FEMA occupants, is Feb. 28, 2021 for Hurricane Laura survivors and April 16, 2021 for Hurricane Delta survivors.
Before the survivors can occupy temporary direct housing, they must sign a FEMA license agreement for temporary-unit occupancy that states that the licensee must have a valid, approved permanent housing plan and demonstrate routine progress towards accomplishing that plan. Occupants can be asked to vacate FEMA units if insufficient or no progress is made on the plan.
Occupants of FEMA units must provide proof of progress on their permanent housing plans or evidence that delays are no fault of the occupants. Examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Contracts or invoices for repairs;
- Application/s for additional funds (SBA, bank, etc.);
- Contracts for rebuilding, building or leasing a new home; or
- Lists of properties with points of contact identified for real-estate searches.
For situations beyond the occupants’ control, detailed written or verbal explanations and contact information for verification purposes is acceptable. FEMA recommends that survivors document their recovery process and permanent housing plans in a book or electronic file, including notes, dates, names, phone numbers, etc.
Eligible applicants who were contacted by FEMA to discuss housing options are provided with a point of contact, and occupants of FEMA units are assigned to a caseworker. If a point of contact (or caseworker) was not provided or if a survivor misplaced the information, survivors may call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, and the operator will take the caller’s information and forward it to the Direct Housing Department. If you use TTY, you may call 800-462-7585; those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. To find a Disaster Recovery Center visit https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator or you can call the FEMA Helpline.
For the latest information on Hurricane Laura, visit fema.gov/disaster/4559. For the latest information on Hurricane Delta, visit fema.gov/disaster/4570. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6.