Since Hurricane Laura, FEMA has registered over 100,000 survivors in Louisiana. To reach even more people, FEMA has added drive-thru registration sites, including one in Jeff Davis Parish.
People will continue to see FEMA personnel at Lacassine High School assisting those affected by Hurricane Laura who don't have the resources that they need.
"The point of this is if people don't have access to the internet and can't upload those documents and if they don't have power at the moment," said FEMA spokesperson Lenisha Smith.
The drive-thru disaster recovery center is a one-stop-shop that gives storm victims the option of completing documents and getting questions answered from FEMA reps from your car or one-on-one interaction. Both options are offered following strict COVID-19 safety guidelines.
"It is something that is new as COVID just popped up this year. So, we had to come up with more creative ways to reach survivors," said Smith.
FEMA records show that over $36 million have gone to those who were affected by Hurricane Laura thus far, and they want to make sure the people of Louisiana don't miss out because of common mistakes when filling out paperwork.
"If they're saying they're ineligible for any reason, they might be missing documentation or having a typo. Maybe we're looking for insurance information as well from them."
No matter where you're at in your application process, there are representatives on-site to help.
"7 a.m.-5 p.m. every single day seven days a week, and we're going to be out here until people don't need us anymore."
The drive-thru center is located at:
Lacassine High School409 Algonia Ave.Lacassine, LA 70650
Another drive-thru center is also operating from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. It's located at:
Calcasieu Parish School Board3310 Broad St.Lake Charles, LA 70615
Survivors do not need to visit a drive-thru center to apply or update their application. To ask individual questions or submit information:
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.
- Visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov [disasterassistance.gov]
- Download the FEMA app.
For the latest information on Hurricane Laura, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4559 [u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net] or follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 [u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net].
