NEW ORLEANS — In a live update Tuesday afternoon, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that several distribution centers will be available for residents Tuesday as a way to bring relief to those affected by Hurricane Ida.
Here's what residents should know regarding distribution centers, FEMA assistance and more.
Food distribution
- Food distribution centers will be opened at various times throughout the day Tuesday. Permanent centers are forthcoming and will be announced by city officials.
- Distribution cites include the following;
AC and charging stations
- Cooling stations are provided by the Regional Transit Authority with 70 cooling buses located at each of the food distribution centers.
- Rosenwald Recreation Center on S. Broad Street will have charging stations from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday. Other charging stations can be found here.
Special medical needs
- Anyone with special medical needs should call 311 to register for medical assistance.
Infrastructure and power restoration
- Roads are being cleared of debris to allow people to walk and drive to distribution centers.
- As more power become available, it will be extended to distribution centers before spreading to homes.
- Debris sat on the curbs of homes will be picked up starting Tuesday, while limited trash pick up will begin Thursday.
FEMA assistance
- Over 113,000 households applied for federal assistance, with the majority coming from the Orleans Parish.
- Individual assistance is not yet available from FEMA but people are still encouraged to start registering.
- Residents should keep all receipts of expenses from lodging and cleanup to be considered for reimbursement.
- People can start the cleanup process around their homes but should document all damages with photos and videos and for FEMA inspections.
Affected pets
- The Louisiana SPCA said they've received numerous calls of animals being in heat distress and having heat strokes.
- Cooling centers for pets will be located along with the 70 cooling buses at food distribution centers.
- SPCA advises people not to exercise their pets in the middle of the day when it's the hottest and to cool their animals off in pools in possible.
- Reports to injured animals should be called in to 911 and other animal-related non-emergencies can be reported by calling 311.