[StBernard] FEMA Hotel/Motel Program Extended in Louisiana to January 7

[Westley Annis]

Editor's note: I believe I heard on the news that the program has been
extended to February 7 due to a lawsuit.

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FEMA Hotel/Motel Program Extended in Louisiana to January 7 

December 12, 2005 


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BATON ROUGE, La.--The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today granted the State of Louisiana's
request for an extension of FEMA's program using federal funds to provide
temporary hotel and motel housing for Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees.
As one of 10 states housing 92 percent of the evacuee population nationwide,
Louisiana was eligible for an additional extension. The hotel/motel program
will now end Jan. 7, 2006, rather than Dec. 15, 2005 in Louisiana.


Other states eligible to request the Jan. 7 extension are: Alabama,
Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and
Texas. 

Federal Coordinating Officer for the Louisiana recovery operation Scott
Wells granted the extension following receipt of a housing placement plan
and timeline from Louisiana's Governor Kathleen Blanco. The extension was
approved to accommodate efforts to move all evacuees out of hotels and into
apartments and longer-term housing. 
FEMA continues to reach out to evacuees through public service
announcements, local media, and by distributing flyers to evacuees in hotels
to provide them with further information about the assistance they may be
eligible for and help in finding longer-term housing if needed. FEMA's
Community Relations Officers are interviewing more than 9,000 households
still residing in hotels and motels to discuss housing options. FEMA also
has set up a housing referral service.

Evacuees who need help finding longer-term housing may contact FEMA's
housing locator service at  1-800-762-8740 or TTY 1-800-462-7585, open daily
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For other forms of assistance and questions, evacuees
may contact FEMA's helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585,
open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For individuals and families who were displaced from federally subsidized
low-income housing by Rita or Katrina or for displaced homeless persons, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development has a disaster assistance
housing program available. To learn more, call 1-866-373-9509 or TTY
1-800-877-8339. 

HOTEL/MOTEL EXTENSION 2-2-2

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and
recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates
mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local
emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.



Editors:    For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit
www.fema.gov or www.ohsep.louisiana.gov.