Residents of Calcasieu, Cameron and Beauregard parishes have been on the road to recovery following the aftermath of Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
KATC reported on the public hearing held in in Lake Charles June of this year, in which the Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD) informed residents affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta about the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program, share available resources, and provide next steps toward receiving assistance.
Today, September 29,2022, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that the Louisiana Division of Administration has signed a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development establishing a $600 million line of credit for recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
The state of Louisiana has offered nearly $16 million in grant awards to 193 qualified homeowners through the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program.
“With the execution of this grant agreement, the state can begin implementing the programs that will assist the residents, businesses and communities affected by these devastating storms. Not wanting to cause any further delay for those impacted, I directed the Office of Community Development to begin proactively processing homeowners’ applications early so that immediately upon execution of this grant agreement they would be able to start the process of repairing or reconstructing their homes. The survey to determine eligibility remains open, and I encourage anyone who has not started the process to do so now.”
The initial action plan for spending $600 million in federal funding for hurricane recovery was approved by HUD on July 14, 2022 and amended on September 20, 2022.
The state followed up with the amendment to spend an additional $1.27 billion in federal funding for recovery from Hurricane Ida and the May 2021 Severe Storms, in addition to the $450 million for recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
According to the Office of the Governor, OCD will be able to launch recovery programs for all eligible storms once the grant agreement for the additional funds is executed with HUD.
Taking the survey is the initial step toward receiving assistance.
The state released an early launch of the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program survey on January 31 of this year and it has helped expedite the application process for homeowners. Eligible homeowners who took the survey have been invited to complete the next step which is submitting an application.
According to officials, more than 7,900 homeowners have completed the survey with more than 2,200 invited to submit applications.
“We wanted to issue award determinations as soon as we had access to the federal funds, so our eligible homeowners could immediately begin their repair process. Now that these funds are available, OCD will continue its efforts to reach as many eligible homeowners as possible, in addition to rolling out the programs of economic revitalization, infrastructure and community planning so vital to our recovery.”
The survey is open to homeowners who sustained FEMA-determined major/severe damage from Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Ida or the May 2021 Severe Storms. The survey can be found on the Restore Louisiana website, or by clicking here.
For an in-person survey and/or application assistance in affected areas, visit the Restore Louisiana program website.
