Louisiana is encouraging homeowners who sustained damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 to fill out a survey at restore.la.gov.
Louisiana Office of Community Development Director Pat Forbes says the state will soon receive 600-million dollars in federal disaster block grant funding and answers to this survey will help determine how the money is allocated.
“Getting information from homeowners, know who is interested, know who is eligible and it helps us gather more data about what the unmet needs are out there,” said Forbes.
Forbes says they know there are many homeowners struggling financially as a result of the storm damage done to their homes in 2020 and the goal is to get this assistance out quickly once it becomes available.
“We will be serving folks based on some priorities, mostly driven by HUD restrictions, so that we can make sure we can reach the most vulnerable people first,” said Forbes.
The survey will help guide the state in developing its action plan for those funds. Homeowners can complete the survey online or by calling 866.735.2001. Forbes says the process is easy to navigate and complete.
“It is important that people sign up, it is not critical that you be one of the first ones to sign up, but it is super easy to sign up,” said Forbes.
The OCD is also urging any homeowner impacted by hurricanes over the last two years, including Hurricane Ida, to complete the survey, because they expect more federal assistance to become available.