FEMA, SBA say millions in disaster aid provided to Francine victims as deadlines to apply approach

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - It's been just over a month since Hurricane Francine struck South Louisiana, and the deadline for residents to apply for federal disaster assistance is fast approaching.

In Kenner, a city within Jefferson Parish, hundreds of homes were flooded during the storm.

"We're making progress, slowly but surely," said Randy Dennis, a resident of the University City subdivision, who had to tear out all of his flooring. "We got enough water in the house to where we had to take the floors up."

Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser agrees that recovery efforts have moved forward since the hurricane hit on Sept. 11.

"We had 724 structures that were flooded," Glaser said. "Most of the gutting has been completed, and debris pickup has returned to normal curbside garbage collection on the usual days."

Meanwhile, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration continue to operate a disaster recovery center in Kenner to assist residents.

"It's designed to help people who need to register or bring in paperwork to be scanned for their files," said Manuel Broussard, a FEMA external affairs officer.

Jefferson is one of nine Louisiana parishes where residents are eligible to apply for federal assistance.

"We have about 44,000 people across the nine parishes who have applied for FEMA assistance," Broussard said. "So far, FEMA has provided approximately $53 million in aid to those areas."

A large number of those applicants are from Jefferson Parish.

"Within Jefferson Parish alone, about 5,000 people have applied for assistance, and we've provided over $5 million in individual aid to storm survivors here," Broussard said.

FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program and has already received 1,984 flood insurance claims related to Hurricane Francine, totaling $31.4 million in payouts to Louisiana residents. Of that, $20.1 million was paid to flood victims in Jefferson Parish.

In addition to FEMA assistance, low-interest loans are available through the SBA.

"For renters, we provide up to $100,000 to replace personal property and vehicles," said Raenada Mason, SBA public information officer. "For homeowners, we offer up to $500,000 for repairs or damage to real estate, and another $100,000 for personal property."

SBA loans can also be used to cover insurance deductibles, she noted.

"As disasters become more frequent, we're seeing deductibles increase as well," Mason said. "The funding SBA provides can be used toward those deductibles."

Many loans have already been approved. "As of Monday, Oct. 14, we've approved $5.8 million for homes, $895,600 for businesses, and $964,600 in economic injury loans for those affected by Hurricane Francine," Mason said.

For Jefferson Parish alone, the SBA has approved more than $1 million in loans for homeowners.

"Specifically for Jefferson Parish, we've approved $1.156 million," Mason added.

Though FEMA has heard reports of threats made against its workers in other states, Broussard said that hasn't been the case in Kenner.

"FEMA has always prioritized the safety of its staff. We have armed security at all of our worksites, including the disaster recovery centers," Broussard said. "Here in Kenner, we've had no threats—just appreciative people."

Mayor Glaser said Kenner's recovery is on track.

"We're doing pretty well," Glaser said. "Everything we've requested, we've received. Our focus was getting a disaster resource center here in Kenner for residents, and both FEMA and the SBA responded quickly."

Broussard and Mason emphasized that the deadline to apply for federal assistance is approaching.

"The deadline is Nov. 16. We encourage residents to visit the disaster recovery centers or call 800-621-3362, though it's been quite busy with all the disasters," Broussard said. "You can also find the centers online by Googling 'DRC locator Louisiana' or visiting drc.fema.gov ."

The SBA's deadline is also next month.

"The deadline is Nov. 18 for applicants to apply for SBA assistance," Mason said. "You can visit our website at lending.sba.gov and search for Hurricane Francine to find all available locations throughout Louisiana."