BATON ROUGE, La. – While the Nov. 29 deadline to submit an application for Hurricane Ida assistance is today,
FEMA will remain in Louisiana to assist survivors. If you applied for the assistance you can continue to upload
documents and update information to your file.

FEMA urges survivors to stay informed, reach out, and keep their contact information up to date. Update any
changed contact information as soon as possible to avoid any delays in your application.

If you applied with FEMA before Nov. 29 and later discover that your insurance did not cover all losses, you have up
to a year to submit additional documentation to FEMA. It is important to provide FEMA with your final insurance
settlement information, as assistance may be available for some expenses not covered by insurance.

Applicants should stay in touch with FEMA to ensure the disaster-assistance process stays on track. Missing or
incorrect information could hold things up. Update your contact information and report additional damage or a delay
in insurance payments by:
▪ Going online at DisasterAssistance.gov;
▪ Calling the FEMA Helpline 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available; or
▪ Downloading the FEMA app.

To receive a link to download the FEMA app:
▪ Apple devices: text APPLE to 43362
▪ Android devices: text ANDROID to 43362
▪ Visit fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/app

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.

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BATON ROUGE, La. – Although the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Main Branch of the New Orleans Public Library has closed, FEMA specialists will be available at this location to help survivors. The former DRC is now a U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Outreach Center.

SBA specialists will help business owners and individuals apply for low-interest disaster loans and close approved disaster loans. SBA provides federal low-interest disaster loans up to $200,000 to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

FEMA specialists will still help survivors check the status of their FEMA applications and scan and upload documents, as well as answer questions and provide information on additional recovery resources and on how to rebuild safer and stronger.

The Disaster Loan Outreach Center is located at:

New Orleans Public Library – Main Branch, first floor

219 Loyola Ave. New Orleans, LA 70112

The center will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 24, and be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25-26, for the Thanksgiving holiday. The center will re-open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 27.

Normal hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Federal Covid-19 safety rules require all visitors and employees at federal facilities to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance and an SBA loan is Nov. 29, 2021.

BATON ROUGE, La. – All FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in Louisiana will close for the entire Thanksgiving holiday weekend, from Thursday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 28. All centers will reopen at their regular hours Monday, Nov. 29.

Monday, Nov. 29 is also the last day for Hurricane Ida survivors to apply with FEMA. If possible, survivors should visit a recovery center before the holiday to apply or to follow-up on applications and request other services.

Individuals whose primary residence is in one of the 25 parishes designated for FEMA individual assistance may visit any disaster center to apply for assistance or obtain other help. Anyone needing a reasonable accommodation (ASL interpreting, Braille, Large print, etc.) may call 800-621-3362 to request assistance in advance or ask the recovery staff at the center for assistance.

To find a recovery center near you check the FEMA app or visit www.FEMA.gov/DRC. All centers follow COVID-19 precautions. Masks are required for all visitors, employees and volunteers.

Individuals may also apply for federal assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by phone at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585 or on the FEMA app: select Disaster Resources and click on Apply for Assistance Online.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Beginning Nov. 21, all FEMA disaster recovery centers in Louisiana will be closed Sundays.

At disaster recovery centers, residents affected by Hurricane Ida can get help with FEMA applications, upload
documents and have their questions about federal disaster assistance answered.

All DRCs follow COVID-19 precautions. Masks are required for all visitors, employees and volunteers.

Most centers will remain open Monday through Saturday. For hours, locations and other details, check the FEMA
app (under Disaster Resources, select Talk to FEMA in Person) or visit http://www.FEMA.gov/DRC for a complete list of
DRCs currently open in Louisiana.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
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BATON ROUGE, La. – If you applied with FEMA and have questions about your recovery process, immediate help is
available.

Simply call FEMA’s Disaster Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) to find out the status of your
application, what additional assistance may be available or to have other questions answered. Multilingual
operators are available to take your call. The lines are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

If you haven’t heard back from FEMA since applying, a number of common problems may have delayed the
application process. For example, thousands of applications from Louisiana survivors have been held up because of
missing documents. Provide the needed paperwork, and the application can begin to move forward. Just call the
Helpline to find out how.

Reasons to call the Helpline:
▪ To get help with setting up an online account at DisasterAssistance.gov
▪ To get help with uploading documents. A Helpline operator can walk you through the process: Go to

DisasterAssistance.gov and login to your online account.
o Upload the document through the Upload Center tab at the top of the page after selecting the Type of and
the document type you are submitting (appeal, verification document, etc.). Select “Upload Now” to submit
the documentation or for multiple documents, select “Add Another File.”
▪ You received a letter from FEMA, but no decision was given. Read the letter carefully; if you don’t understand
what FEMA wants you to do, call the Helpline to find out why no decision has been made. Often you will need to
provide more documentation. Call the Helpline to find out how to handle FEMA’s requests for more information.
▪ You received a letter and were denied assistance but don’t know why. Call the Helpline to find out why you were
denied assistance and for help with appealing FEMA’s decision.

▪ FEMA may already have called you. FEMA staff review all applications and call survivors to verify information.

These calls may come from an unlisted number. By not answering calls from an unlisted number, applicants may
miss an opportunity for FEMA to assist them. When you answer an unlisted number and the caller says they are
from FEMA, request a FEMA identification number from the caller. If you are unsure of the caller’s identification,
or you are suspicious of someone claiming to be from FEMA, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-
462-7585). The same applies if you have been waiting for a home inspection call. The inspector may call from
an unlisted number, and you may miss the call.

▪ Your circumstances have changed, and you need to update your application. For a change of address, a new
phone number, updated banking information or other changes, call the Helpline.
▪ To update your insurance information. If you have received your insurance settlement and haven’t told FEMA
yet, or it doesn’t cover your needs, call the Helpline to update your application.
▪ If you want more information about the recovery process, how to rebuild to make your home stronger or other
recovery resources, call the Helpline. The operators can share information about additional support available
from FEMA and its partners.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
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If Hurricane Ida hit your home hard, the damage may have been so great that you will not
be allowed to simply repair the structure. When you make your claim, your flood insurance
from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will pay your building and/or contents
portion of the claim per your policy. In addition, you may be able to access an NFIP benefit
known as Increased Cost of Compliance.

Substantially damaged
▪ If the damage was so great that it would cost equal to or more than 50% of the structure’s pre-damaged market
value to repair, and must meet local rebuilding standards, your home will be designated “substantially
damaged” by the floodplain administrator. They will send you a substantial damage determination letter that
outlines what rebuilding requirements you must meet.

What is Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC)?
▪ This term means that you will have to do additional and more costly work to the home in order to meet the rules
or standards of the community’s flood prevention ordinance in the area where your home is located. You need to
bring the structure up to the current code. Your NFIP policy may help with these costs.
▪ ICC coverage is included under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Standard Flood Insurance Policy
(SFIP). ICC helps policyholders with the costs incurred if they are required by the community building department
to meet rebuilding standards after a flood.
▪ ICC coverage provides up to $30,000 to help pay for relocating, elevating, demolishing and floodproofing (nonresidential buildings), or any combination of these mitigation activities. You will need to do one of these things to
mitigate (lessen future damage):
o Relocating – moving your structure to another location
If your Local Building Department Says You Need to Rebuild to Higher Standards, FEMA Flood Insurance May Help
Learn more at fema.gov November 2021 2
o Elevating – Physically raising your home or business to or above the locally adopted flood elevation
o Demolishing – Taking down and removing
o Floodproofing – Retrofitting a non-residential building to reduce the potential for flood damage by keeping
water out of the building
▪ The ICC portion of the claim is handled separately from the building and/or contents portion of the claim.
However, the combination of payments cannot exceed the maximum coverage limits available through the NFIP.
For example, a policyholder cannot receive more than $250,000 in claim payments for a residential building.
▪ Submit to your insurance carrier the substantial damage letter you received from your community building
department declaring the building is substantially or repetitively damaged.
▪ Do not begin repair work before filing an ICC claim.
▪ The insurance carrier will verify that the flood damage to your building equals at least 50% of the pre-flood
market value, which is required to start the ICC claim.
▪ FEMA mitigation grant funding may also be available, and the ICC benefit may be able to be used as matching
funds. Talk to your local officials for more information about these grants.

Where to Get More Information

For more information about the ICC claim process, contact your insurance carrier and visit
http://www.FEMA.gov/Increased-Cost-Compliance-Coverage, and view Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About
Increased Cost of Compliance. To speak with a FEMA Community Education and Outreach staff member about steps
you can take to reduce your risk of future flood, wind and other damage, call 833-FEMA-4-US or 833-336-2487. You
can also visit: Louisiana Mitigation (connectsolutions.com). For Spanish, visit: Spanish Repairing and Rebuilding
after a Hurricane (connectsolutions.com). For Vietnamese, visit: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/la-vie-mit/

For the latest information on Hurricane Ida visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Survivors of Hurricane Ida still have two weeks left to apply for individual assistance from
FEMA. The final deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 29.

FEMA assistance for individuals and families affected by Hurricane Ida can cover rental assistance, temporary
housing, home repairs, personal property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

The easiest way to apply for FEMA assistance is online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 or
(TTY) 800-462-7585. Phone lines operate from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., seven days a week. Individuals can also visit a
Disaster Recovery Center to apply and meet with FEMA specialists in person. To locate a center, check the FEMA
app or visit fema.gov/DRCLocator.

Nov. 29 is also the final deadline to apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan. SBA
representatives are available at disaster recovery centers. Businesses and residents can also visit sba.gov/disasterassistance, call SBA’s customer service center at 800-659-2955 (TTY) 800-877-8339, or email
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for information or to apply.

Anyone requiring a reasonable accommodation (ASL interpreting, Braille, Large print, etc.) may call 800-621-3362
to request assistance in advance or ask the recovery staff at the center for assistance. All DRC centers follow COVID19 precautions. Masks are required for all visitors, employees and volunteers.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
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FEMA releases updates to the Long-Term Community Resilience Exercise Resource Guide, a “one-stop-shop” for any jurisdiction or organization interested in using a climate-focused exercise to better understand their long-term risk and evaluate actions to mitigate them.

Exercises provide an effective forum for the public to develop a common understanding of risk, assess current capabilities, and identify preparedness gaps and other needs to be addressed through future planning. The guide is helpful for planning and conducting scenario-based exercises. It uses different time horizons and levels of climate risk to help visualize the future and evaluate options for constructive action to adapt to climate changes already occurring and those to come. This guide equips users with:

• A dictionary with common terms to ensure a shared understanding of climate-related terminology and principles before an exercise.
• Tools and templates for planning and conducting climate-focused exercises.
• Resources including funding opportunities, risk assessments and training programs.

The guide offers the latest Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) guiding principles, new discussion prompts specific to climate change and social justice, and noteworthy resources from across the interagency. 

BATON ROUGE, La. – FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers will remain open on Veterans Day, Thursday, Nov. 11, with
one exception.

The disaster recovery center at the Alario Center (Hall C) in Westwego will close for Veterans Day and reopen Friday,
Nov. 12.

All other centers will observe regular hours on Veterans Day and provide regular services to help survivors with their
FEMA applications, upload documents and get their questions about federal disaster assistance answered.
Federal Covid-19 safety rules require all visitors and employees at FEMA disaster recovery centers to wear masks,
regardless of vaccination status.

For other details, check the FEMA app (under Disaster Resources, select Talk to FEMA in Person) or visit the FEMA
DRC Locator for a complete list of DRCs currently open in Louisiana.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.

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FEMA extended the deadline to submit a Proof of Loss form to 180 days after your reported date of loss to allow
Louisiana policyholders who suffered flood damage from Hurricane Ida additional time to evaluate their losses and
the adjuster’s reports. Normally, the deadline to submit a Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP) Proof of Loss is
within 60 days of the loss.

FEMA also issued a conditional waiver to allow flood insurers to pay claims based on the unsigned adjusters report.
You must submit your signed Proof of Loss and supporting documentation of your loss within 180 days after the
date of loss even if:
• You do not believe that the adjuster’s report fully settles your claim, and
• You believe you are entitled to additional payment(s) under your SFIP.

To support the proof of loss, you will need to provide documentation, such as a contractor’s estimate, bills, receipts,
photographs, list of personal property loss and any other proof of the amount you claim.
A downloadable Proof of Loss – Building & Contents (Policyholder-Prepared) form can be found at National Flood
Insurance Program Claim Forms for Policyholders | FEMA.gov.

What is a Proof of Loss form?
▪ A Proof of Loss form is your signed statement explaining how much it would cost to repair or replace the
damaged property you are claiming under the insurance policy. It provides FEMA with information such as:
o Date and time of loss
o A brief explanation of how the loss happened
o Details of any other insurance that may cover the loss
o Type and extent of damage to buildings and its contents
o Names of lenders in a mortgage or anyone who has a claim or legal right against the insured property
o Details about who lived in the insured building at the time of loss

Send it within 180 days, you can change it later
▪ Even if you are not certain about the amount it will cost to repair your covered flood damage, it’s important that
you submit the Proof of Loss form within 180 days after your date of loss.
o Your adjuster will give you a detailed loss estimate, and you should review it to see if they forgot something
or got something wrong
o You can fill out a Proof of Loss form on your own. Again, a downloadable Proof of Loss form can be found at
National Flood Insurance Program Claim Forms for Policyholders | FEMA.gov.
▪ For more information, contact your insurance agent, flood insurer, visit FloodSmart.gov or call NFIP at 877-336-
2627.
▪ To speak with a FEMA Community Education and Outreach staff member about steps you can take to reduce
your risk of future flood, wind, and other damage, call 833-FEMA-4-US or 833-336-2487. You can also visit:
Louisiana Mitigation (connectsolutions.com). For Spanish: Spanish Repairing and Rebuilding after a Hurricane
(connectsolutions.com). For Vietnamese: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/la-vie-mit/

For the latest information on Hurricane Ida visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
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BATON ROUGE, La. – Survivors of Hurricane Ida now have until Nov. 29 to apply for individual assistance with FEMA.
At the request of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, FEMA has extended the application deadline for survivors in 25
parishes: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston,
Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St.
Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.

FEMA assistance for individuals and families affected by Hurricane Ida can cover rental assistance, temporary
housing, home repairs, personal property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

The fastest way to apply for FEMA assistance is online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 or
(TTY) 800-462-7585. Phone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Individuals can also visit a
Disaster Recovery Center to apply and meet with FEMA specialists in person. To locate a center, check the FEMA
app or visit FEMA.gov/DRC.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s deadline to apply for an SBA disaster loan has also been extended to
Nov. 29. SBA representatives are available at disaster recovery centers, and businesses and residents can also visit
http://www.SBA.gov/disaster, call SBA’s customer service center at 800-877-8339 or email
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for information or to apply.

For the latest information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at
twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
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