FEMA is Assisting Louisiana Residents Where They Are

BATON ROUGE, La. – Recovering after Hurricane Francine may be difficult and overwhelming. FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams are meeting Louisiana residents where they are to help them apply for FEMA assistance and to assist them on their road to recovery.

To ensure Louisianians can apply for assistance, FEMA sends Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams into disaster-affected neighborhoods, often going door-to-door to help residents.

DSA teams are currently visiting neighborhoods in Ascension, Assumption, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes but will be visiting other disaster-affected parishes. The FEMA staff may help Louisiana residents apply for federal assistance, identify potential needs and help make connections with local, state, federal and voluntary agencies. 

These teams are easily recognizable by their official photo identification (ID). If you meet people offering assistance, first ask to see their ID before giving them your personal information. They may have FEMA clothing, but that can be easily imitated. 

The FEMA teams can help Louisiana residents in several ways including:

• Checking the status of an application already in the system and making minor changes to applications.
• Providing registration assistance.
• Identifying organizations providing disaster-related services and/or resources to the public for immediate and long-term recovery.
• Gathering situational awareness about impacts to communities.
• Providing civil rights and disability integration assistance information to ensure equal access.

Louisianians can apply to FEMA in several ways: 

• Going online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Downloading the FEMA App for mobile devices.
• Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. 

To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.

For the latest information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4817. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and facebook.com/femaregion6.