Louisiana residents hard hit by Hurricane Laura should apply for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as soon as possible.
Approved applicants will be eligible to receive grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners rebuild and recover in the wake of last week’s historic storm.
Hurricane Laura Strongest Storm to Hit Louisiana in Over a Century
Hurricane Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 storm around 1:00 a.m. on August 25th and now stands as the strongest hurricane to strike Louisiana since 1856. While the resulting storm surge wasn’t as severe as expected, Laura’s 150 mph sustained winds wreaked havoc across a large swath of south Louisiana along the Texas border.
The storm had already claimed nine lives in the Caribbean by the time it reached the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. Four hurricane-related deaths have since been reported in Texas and 12 in Louisiana.
Parts of Louisiana’s Power Grid Destroyed During Storm
The historic storm destroyed parts of Louisiana’s power grid after making landfall last Thursday, and tens of thousands remain without electricity today. Entire sections of the state’s electrical infrastructure may need to be rebuilt from scratch, leaving some areas without power for weeks – if not months.
Hurricane Laura also knocked out most of the water service in Lake Charles, Louisiana. City Administrator John Cardone told CNN that crews were working to restore service as soon as possible.
“I can assure you we are doing everything we can,” he said. “We understand the criticalness of getting water to our citizens. We are bringing in engineers and generators to work on this. We just took a massive hit with this storm.”
Although mandatory evacuation orders affecting more than 500,000 people were issued by officials ahead of Hurricane Laura’s landfall, thousands of people who chose to remain have since fled the devastation for shelters or state-provided hotel rooms in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Once hotels were at capacity, state officials began directing the new wave of evacuees to Alexandria.
Insurance Claim Delays Likely After Laura
CoreLogic, a real estate analytics firm, released an early estimate Friday placing total insured losses from Hurricane Laura at somewhere between $8 billion and $12 billion. About $500 million of the estimated losses are related to Laura’s storm surge, which left parts of Louisiana and Texas flooded into the weekend.
Camille Garcia, a spokesperson with the Insurance Council of Texas, warned policyholders to expect delays after filing Hurricane Laura insurance claims as adjusters adapt to hurricane season during a pandemic.
“In-person adjustment will still happen, but insurance companies want to have a faceless process if possible,” she told The Beaumont Times. “They might have drones to observe property damage, FaceTime with the policyholders, or even ask them to upload their own photos.”
To mitigate delays, Garcia advised property owners to thoroughly document all Laura-related damages via photos and videos before cleanup and repairs begin. They should also hold on to contaminated clothes and other damaged items, at least in a garbage sack outside, until they’ve been reimbursed.
“With potentially thousands and thousands of claims coming out, we’re looking at collectively 80,000 claims from this event,” she added. “You might not see someone from your company immediately.
How to Apply for FEMA Aid After Hurricane Laura
Residents of the five Louisiana parishes most impacted by Hurricane Laura — Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vernon — are now eligible to apply for FEMA aid.
Once they’ve contacted their insurance companies and filed the appropriate wind and/or flood damage claims, business and property owners should register with FEMA, either online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. Users of 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) should call 1-800-621-3362. All toll-free lines will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT, seven days a week.
Damage assessments are ongoing, so additional Louisiana parishes may eventually join the federal disaster declaration.
Contact an Undefeated Hurricane Damage Lawyer by Calling 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consult
Our Experienced Hurricane Damage Lawyers continue to monitor recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Laura and will post additional updates as the situation develops.
If you believe your insurance carrier is attempting to deny, delay, or lowball your legitimate Hurricane Laura damage claim, our attorneys have the expertise and resources to protect your rights and ensure you and your family are made whole.
Call 1-888-603-3636 or click here to send us a confidential email through our contact form.
All consultations are free, and since we work exclusively on a contingency fee basis, you won’t owe us anything unless we recover damages from your insurer.