BATON ROUGE, La. – With more than $202 million in Individual Assistance already in the hands of Louisiana flood survivors, state and federal officials have some advice: Resist the urge to splurge.State and federal disaster assistance is meant to help people pay for necessities and start to get back on their feet.Disaster assistance may include grants and loans to help pay for emergency repairs to damaged homes, temporary housing, or other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources.A letter explaining a payment’s purpose will arrive within a day...

BATON ROUGE, La. — As Louisianans repair or rebuild their homes damaged by the August floods, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local hardware and home improvement stores have teamed up to provide free information, tips and literature on making homes stronger and safer.FEMA mitigation specialists will be on hand to provide information in an Ascension Parish Home Depot store from Sept. 1 to Sept. 10. They will be available to answer questions and offer home improvement tips and proven methods to prevent and lessen damage from future disasters. Most of...

BATON ROUGE, La. – Free disaster-related legal advice is available to low-income Louisiana flood survivors through a partnership among the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana Civil Justice Center, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).Low-income survivors facing legal issues may call the Legal Services hotline, 800-310-7029, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Voice mail is available 24/7 and messages are generally returned the next business day. Examples of legal assistance available include:Assistance with securing FEMA and other benefits available to...

ZCZC MIATWOAT ALLTTAA00 KNHC DDHHMMTROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOKNWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL800 AM EDT THU SEP 1 2016For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on HurricaneGaston, located west of the Azores, and on Tropical StormHermine, located over the central Gulf of Mexico. The NationalHurricane Center has issued the last advisory on former TropicalDepression Eight, located east of the Mid-Atlantic states.1. A tropical wave over the eastern Atlantic ocean located about 700miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands continues to produce onlylimited...

BATON ROUGE, La. – A disaster recovery center is opening Wednesday, August 31, in East Baton Rouge Parish to assist Louisiana flood survivors. The center is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.The disaster recovery center is operating at the following address and hours: East Baton Rouge Parish Location: Celtic Studios10000 Celtic Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70809Hours:      8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Sunday)Survivors may locate other centers near them by visiting fema.gov/disaster-recovery-  centers, calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, or downloading the FEMA mobile...

AUSTIN, Texas—More than 22,000 Texans battered by flooding over the last two years settled claims with the National Flood Insurance Program for over $1 billion, disaster recovery officials said today.Severe storms and flooding over the last two years resulted in six federal disaster declarations in Texas, affecting more than half of the state’s 254 counties, many on multiple occasions. Residents are still picking up the pieces from flood-related disaster declarations in March, April and May-June this year.About 100,000 individuals and families registered with FEMA for federal assistance during the 2015-2016 recovery....

Labor Day weekend is a time for a lot of people to head out on fun and relaxing vacations and celebrate the last “official” days of summer. Here, it’s historically a time we find ourselves at our busiest. Labor Day lies right smack dab in the middle of peak hurricane season—and if you’re like us and have been following the forecasts, you might know a little bit about what’s on our radars. Right now, we’re following several different storms forecast to hit two vastly different areas: the Big Island of...

BATON ROUGE, La. — Returning to school in late August brings a sense of routine to most children across the country. But in Louisiana there are many young people whose lives are far from normal. They are still living the aftermath of storms and widespread floods that drove tens of thousands from their homes and left many living with relatives, or in hotels or shelters.Some schools that were battered by the storms are not able to open on time, so even students whose homes were not affected are unable to resume...

BATON ROUGE, La. – Disaster recovery centers will open Thursday, Aug. 25, in East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston and St. Landry parishes to help Louisiana flood survivors. The centers are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday until further notice. The disaster recovery centers are located at the following addresses: St. Louis King of France Catholic Church2121 N. Sherwood Forest Dr.Baton Rouge, La. 70815 Early Learning Center Gym9414 Plank Rd.Clinton, La. 70772 Word Ministries1960 W. Laurel Ave.Eunice, La. 70535 There also are two mobile disaster recovery centers: St. Joseph Catholic Church15710 Highway 16French Settlement,...