$600 Million HUD Grant Agreement for Recovery from Hurricane Laura and Delta Signed by State of Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced on September 29, 2022, that the Louisiana Division of Administration has signed a grant agreement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development establishing a $600 million line of credit for Hurricanes Laura and Delta recovery. Through the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program, the state has already awarded approximately $16 million in grants to 193 qualifying homeowners.

“With the execution of this grant agreement, the state can begin implementing the programs that will assist the residents, businesses and communities affected by these devastating storms,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Not wanting to cause any further delay for those impacted, I directed the Office of Community Development to begin proactively processing homeowners’ applications early so that immediately upon execution of this grant agreement they would be able to start the process of repairing or reconstructing their homes. The survey to determine eligibility remains open, and I encourage anyone who has not started the process to do so now.”

On July 14, HUD authorized the state’s initial action plan for spending $600 million in federal funds for Hurricanes Laura and Delta recovery. The state then proposed an amendment to spend an additional $1.27 billion in federal funds for Hurricane Ida and the May 2021 Severe Storms, as well as an additional $450 million for Hurricanes Laura and Delta recovery. On September 20, HUD approved this change. OCD will be able to initiate recovery programs for all eligible storms once the grant agreement for the additional money included in the amendment is signed with HUD.

The state’s early rollout of the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program survey on January 31 helped speed up the application process for homeowners. Taking the survey is the first step toward obtaining help. Restore Louisiana has already asked eligible homeowners who completed the survey to take the next step, which is to submit an application and has begun processing those applications as well as making award determinations. More than 7,900 homes have completed the survey to date, with over 2,200 encouraged to submit applications.

“We wanted to issue award determinations as soon as we had access to the federal funds, so our eligible homeowners could immediately begin their repair process,” OCD Executive Director Pat Forbes said. “Now that these funds are available, OCD will continue its efforts to reach as many eligible homeowners as possible, in addition to rolling out the programs of economic revitalization, infrastructure and community planning so vital to our recovery.”

The survey is open to homeowners who had major/severe damage from Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Ida, or the May 2021 Severe Storms, as determined by FEMA. The survey can be accessed by following this link or dialing 866-735-2001. Visit the Restore Louisiana program’s website for an in-person survey and/or application assistance in affected areas.