Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Donald J. Trump’s disaster declaration issued for the State of Arkansas.Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families Can Include as Required:Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable.  Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters.  Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements.  (Source: FEMA funded...

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Arkansas to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding beginning on April 26, 2017 through May 19, 2017.The president's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Faulkner, Fulton, Jackson, Lawrence, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Washington, and Yell counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or...

BATON ROUGE, La. — Citizens of Denham Springs are invited to an open house where they will have the unique opportunity to express their own visions for their community’s future. Their ideas will be incorporated into the town’s plan for long-term recovery from last year’s flooding disaster. This event will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, June 15, in the gym at Denham Springs Junior High, 401 Hatchell Lane.At the open house, people will visit several stations that represent different areas of community planning. Each station will have a...

BATON ROUGE, La. — More than 2,000 volunteers from 41 states and three countries converged in Acadiana last week to help survivors still struggling to recover from the August 2016 flood.FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) and Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) helped faith-based organization, Eight Days of Hope, turn a dream into the reality of a massive rebuilding effort.  “We take a whole-community approach” says FEMA’s VAL Supervisor, Angele Rogers. “Our goal is to identify resources and find residents who have unmet needs.  We provide extra-handholding to make sure they...

BATON ROUGE, La. — When disaster strikes, federal, state, and local emergency response agencies immediately mobilize resources to aid survivors. But volunteer and non-profit organizations also pitch in to support affected communities in response to and recovery from a disaster.Responsibility for coordinating volunteers and non-governmental agencies falls on the shoulders of the state. Louisiana is a member of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD). This national association of voluntary and non-profit groups is dedicated to providing critical help to survivors and their communities in all phases of a disaster.  They play...