JENNINGS — Restore Louisiana brought its Homeowners Outreach Program to Jeff Davis Parish on Wednesday to assist homeowners with damage from last year’s flooding.

Restore Louisiana outreach specialist Jenny Kurz said over 500 homeowners in Jeff Davis Parish have FEMA-verified flood losses, but that only about 10 percent of them have completed the state’s initial survey of flood damage.

“We want everyone to take the survey whether they have started repairs or not,” Kurz said.

Statewide 85,000 homeowners have verified losses, but only 34,000 have completed the survey, she said.

The Restore Louisiana Homeowners Assistance Program has about $1.3 billion in disaster relief funds available to help homeowners that were affected by floods in March and August 2016 make repairs or receive reimbursements for expenses incurred in making repairs, she said.

“The first step to being helped by the program is completing the initial homeowner’s survey,” she said.

The brief survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, she said.

Homeowners can complete it online at restore.la.gov; by phone 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays at 866-735-2001; or by attending an outreach event. A listing of outreach dates are available at restore.la.gov.

The survey asks for basic information about the homeowner’s address, type of damage, how much water the home took on and where the homeowner is in the repair process, she said. 

No documentation is needed to complete the initial survey.

Following the initial survey, qualified homeowners will be notified by mail or email to start the application process. Supporting documentation will be required during the application step to verify eligibility for financial assistance.

Responses to the survey are important because they help Restore Louisiana understand where a homeowner is in terms of their recovery, if they qualify for assistance and to demonstrate an ongoing need for assistance, Kurz said.

“The response has been great, but we know there are more homeowners out there that need to take the survey,” Kurz said.

 “We want everyone to take the survey, whether they have finished the repairs, whether they haven’t started their repairs or whether they don’t think they would qualify.”

A homeowner who does not currently qualify for assistance may qualify for a future phase of the program as more funds become available, she said.

“$1.3 billion can help a lot of homeowners, but there’s even more homeowners that need assistance, so the better we are able to communicate that ongoing unmet need the more likely we are to receive additional funding for the program and be able to help more people,” she said.

The $1.3 billion available is expected to help 37,000 homeowners who qualify for assistance, she said.