After 5 days of intense storms across a wide swath of Louisiana, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that it will release disaster related funds to help local governments recover. Tornadoes and flooding devastated several communities, and they’re still picking up the pieces to this day. Here’s a portion of the announcement from FEMA:
Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in the parishes of Beauregard, Bossier, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Union, and Webster.
As always, the federal dollars are filtered down to state, county and city governments, and at the end of the day, government entities absorb the majority of the funds. Though it’s not always the case, individuals and families who are hurt in these disasters often don’t see much in the way of funding from these gifts. It’s a good reminder to keep up on your homeowners or renters insurance, and to be prepared for both short-term and long-term emergency situations. It’s better to assume that you’ll be on your own in a major disaster scenario, than to hope that money will eventually filter its way down to your family.