WASHINGTON -- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell traveled to Louisiana earlier this week, where she met with parish presidents and faith leaders leading Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in their communities.
The visit marked Administrator Criswell’s third trip to impacted communities since Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana in late August.
On Monday, the Administrator met with St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard and St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell at the St. Charles Emergency Operations Center (EOC). They discussed progress being made with debris cleanup, future mitigation projects and the Hurricane Ida Direct Housing Sheltering program. Afterwards, Administrator Criswell received a tour of the EOC and participated in a news conference with parish and state officials.
Administrator Criswell then traveled to a non-congregate sheltering site in Grand Isle, where she met with Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle for a tour of the island and a visit to the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. At the center, she thanked staff for the work they’ve done to support the community as they recover and rebuild.
On Tuesday, Administrator Criswell traveled to the Beacon Light International Baptist Cathedral in Orleans Parish to attend a faith-based community roundtable. At that event, she provided an update on Hurricane Ida recovery and took questions from attendees. The Administrator highlighted FEMA’s recent changes to its Individual Assistance program and shared that the registration deadline for Hurricane Ida survivors has been extended to Nov. 29.
Next, Administrator Criswell visited the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, which is providing services to an average of nearly 200 survivors every day. She thanked FEMA staff and other federal partners for their efforts on the ground assisting survivors.
Before returning to Washington, the Administrator met with Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove and Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson at the Terrebonne Parish Government Tower to receive an update on the recovery process from both Hurricane Ida and other recent storms.
“Ida was a catastrophic event and it caused destruction that was larger than any of the disasters that we’ve seen here recently,” said Administrator Criswell. “It made landfall 16 years to the day from Hurricane Katrina, and there’s still a lot of recovery that’s going on from Katrina. We’ve learned a lot since then and have been able to put a lot of new processes in place to help expedite the recovery. But there are still things we can do to improve, and that’s what I’m committed to doing.”
To date, FEMA has provided more than $935 million in grants to survivors and more than $349 million in flood insurance claims. More than 4,700 households are receiving emergency shelter through provided hotel rooms. The U.S. Small Business Administration has provided more than $915 million in low-interest loans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed more than 35,600 blue roofs so families can shelter inside their home while making additional repairs. For additional recovery information please visit 4611 | FEMA.gov.