Over 40-thousand homes were damaged by the floods, and unfortunately, many of them are not insured for flood damage. Jeff Palermo has more…
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While tens of thousands of people have lost everything in the deadly flood, many are coming together to assist in recovery efforts throughout south Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more…
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The Attorney General’s Office is warning flood victims to watch out for scammers when it comes time to fix up their damaged homes. Emelie Gunn has more…
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About 75-percent of Louisianans do not have flood insurance, which is bad news for the thousands of homeowners who lost everything in the flood. Michael Barry with the Insurance Information Institute says FEMA assistance will be available for flood victims who live in a parish that are part of the federal disaster declaration, but it will may not be enough to cover the cost to rebuild.
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Barry says the typical FEMA direct assistance payments are around $10-thousand, depending on the disaster. But he still recommends that people without insurance register their damage with FEMA. He says they can do that online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.
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Barry says there is good news for motorists whose cars were damaged in the flood, if they have comprehensive coverage.
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Curfews are in place in East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension until conditions improve in those parishes. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says the curfews are in place to keep everyone safe. He says law enforcement has also started going door-to-door in flooded areas looking for storm victims.
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The curfews are also in place to prevent looting. East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says four people were arrested in Baton Rouge for breaking into a flooded Dollar General, and at least 10 others have also been arrested in the parish for looting. He says there are entire neighborhoods that are flooded, and police need to monitor those areas for looters.
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Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard says many of his deputies lost everything in the flood. He says it’s important for people to remember their struggles as first responders continue to work to help residents.
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In the wake of the deadly floods in south Louisiana, many residents are coming together to lend one another a helping hand. Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director, Judd Jeansonne, says if anyone wants to volunteer, the best thing they can do is be patient because too many volunteers at once creates a so-called disaster after the disaster. He says many areas are still in the emergency response phase doing search and rescues.
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Jeansonne says people who want to help, can register at VolunteerLouisiana.gov because more volunteers will be needed, when we move into the recovery phase. He says the jobs will vary from one organization to another.
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Jeansonne says about 1,000 people have registered to volunteer through their website. But he says many more people have helped in other ways.
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The Attorney General’s Office is working to make sure flood victims are protected from price gougers and scammers. A-G Jeff Landry says there have been cases in other states, where fraud artists have shown up and identified themselves as FEMA inspectors…
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Landry says they’ve opened up their consumer protection hotline so people can report scams by calling (800) 351-4889. And he says they’ve teamed up with the online donation website, GoFundMe, to make sure contributions are really going to flood victims.
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Landry advises storm victims to make sure all contractors for home repairs are licensed in Louisiana. He says there is a list on the state licensing board’s website.
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