FEMA post-Isaac efforts ongoing
Thousands statewide apply for aid
Nearly 23,000 people have applied for federal help in East Baton Rouge and three adjoining southeastern Louisiana parishes as a result of Hurricane Isaac, federal records show.
However, those numbers are dwarfed by the applications received from residents of the New Orleans area, where more than 108,000 people have applied for help in Jefferson and Orleans parishes.
About 5,000 people have sought help in both Livingston and East Baton Rouge, nearly 3,000 in Ascension and almost 10,000 in Tangipahoa, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Residents of St. John the Baptist Parish have received more money than those of any other parish.
The number of applications being submitted has slowed, but still continues, officials said.
The disaster recovery center in Maurepas had been scheduled to close Thursday, but operations there have been extended indefinitely, FEMA spokesman Ray Perez said Thursday afternoon.
No closure date has been set for the center in Satsuma and local officials have asked for extension of the operations of the centers in Amite and Ponchatoula, Perez said.
The center in Gonzales closed last week.
Roadside cleanup crews continue to operate in Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes.
Livingston’s cleanup should be completed this week, said Mark Harrell, parish director of emergency preparedness.
Harrell said he doesn’t know yet what Isaac’s cleanup costs will run.
He said the contractor has picked up 5,921 cubic yards of vegetative debris and 6,184 yards of demolition debris, which mainly came from flooded homes.
Tangipahoa Parish should complete its roadside debris pickup by the end of next week, parish spokesman Jeff McKneely said.
So far, Tangipahoa has picked up a total of about 13,000 cubic yards of debris, he said.
He said the large, storm-debris boxes at Manchac, Lees Landing and Traino Landing will remain in place through Sunday.
“We wanted to give people one more weekend,” he said.
After Sunday, parish residents are asked to dispose of their debris at the Tangipahoa Parish Landfill on Hano Road in Independence.
Residents of St. John the Baptist Parish, which was hit hard by the storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain, have received more money, $24.5 million, for individual assistance than those of any other parish, FEMA records show.
Residents of Tangipahoa Parish, which also suffered a heavy storm surge, have received $8.3 million.
In Livingston, where a storm surge from Lake Maurepas struck, residents have received $6.6 million.
Residents of Ascension Parish have received $1.6 million and residents of East Baton Rouge have received $1.3 million from FEMA.
In Jefferson Parish, which has the highest number of people — 58,292 — seeking federal storm assistance, residents have received $14.1 million.
In Orleans Parish, where 50,367 people have sought assistance, residents have received $11.6 million.