Information for people with disabilities and their families who have
been affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Important Information from a FEMA Representative (The following Information taken from a recent post on LaDisability listserve).
Laura Nata, a representatives of Families Helping Families met with a FEMA Community Relations liaison, Linda Colon (contact information provided below).
A. What Ms. Colon can do?
1. She can arrange counseling for those who have post traumatic stress.
2. She can arrange for information to be provided in a variety of languages including Creole and Cajun.
3. Assign teams to investigate and resolve issues reported to her that concern individuals/families living in shelters.
4. Meet with families or arrange for others from FEMA to meet with them in a variety of community settings.
B. INFORMATION STRESS BY MS. COLON
1. People applying to FEMA commonly make a mistake that unintentionally results in their claim or application to be terminated or rejected. After applying to FEMA they are mailed a SBA application. ManY people think "I don't need a small business loan." And they don't fill it out & return it to FEMA. FEMA MUST RECEIVE THIS INFORMAITON as a part of the total loan application process. FEMA's computer program must have the info from the SBA application put into their data files by a certain time. If it is not received FEMA assumes you no longer want help.
If you applied to FEMA & DID NOT SEND in the SBA loan info you should go to the nearest DRC or Distribution Resource Center, get an SBA loan application & send it in. But if FEMA has already discontinued or rejected your original application because the SBA loan application was not received you must start all over again from scratch.
2. Red Cross funds: the original $2,000 that some evacuees received from Red Cross to help with housing & living expenses was a GIFT that they will not be asked to account for.
3. FEMA’s $2,358 that some may have received to help with their continued need for temporary, alternate housing, is a LOAN. Proof that the money was used properly in the form of documentation such as receipts will be required. If proof is not provided FEMA will take the money back in order to make it available to others. More accurately FEMA considers this an advance on the money that you might be awarded once FEMA looks over your property & considers your claim or application, and will subtract the loan of $2,358 off the top of any amount for which it determines you are eligible.
4. Those who can not earn their income because their employer can not typically operate due to the storm(s) or because they are displaced by the storm can apply for Disaster Unemployment which is different from unemployment. IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY “Disaster Unemployment” when applying at a local unemployment office.
C. HOUSING
1. FEMA is trying to move people out of shelters and into other types of temporary or permanent housing. Not everyone in a shelter will get a trailer. Many will be provided with support to live in other types of temporary housing.
Ms. Colon can be contacted at:
Email linda.colon@dhs.gov
Office phone 225-376-5114
Cell phone 337-281-4352