BATON ROUGE, LA — June 26, 2019 — Due to the excessive rainfall and heavy wind experienced in East Baton Rouge Parish on Wednesday, June 5, through Thursday, June 6, over 600 citizens submitted damage assessment forms regarding damaged property. On June 18, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, along with the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (MOHSEP), submitted the Damage Assessment data to the State of Louisiana, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), in an effort to request Public and Individual Assistance (IA/PA) for East Baton Rouge Parish.

Starting Thursday, June 27, Damage Assessment Teams will be going out into our community to assess some of the areas that reported damage. Officials from MOHSEP and GOHSEP will be canvassing in areas that reported damage, taking pictures of damages, and may have questions for storm-impacted citizens. Residents should note that these officials will have proper identification, and are working to assist our community. After preliminary damage assessments (PDA) are conducted, GOHSEP will review their findings and determine if further assistance will be requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Mayor Broome reminds residents that completion of an EBRP Damage Assessment Form does not substitute for a claim with their insurance provider, nor does it guarantee that future assistance will become available.

“This PDA process is an initial step in assisting our Parish with recovery from the heavy rainfall event,” said Broome. “We appreciate our citizens’ time and effort to share their information about impacts of the severe weather with our public safety team, and we are working in partnership with the state to continue this process.”

Note: All information submitted via the EBRP Damage Assessment surveys are for official use only. Each submission contributes to the overall collection of data that may be used towards future mitigation efforts and aid in our Whole Community Recovery Process.

If you are an East Baton Rouge resident in immediate need of assistance as a result of the June 5-6 rain event, contact 2-1-1 for available resources within East Baton Rouge Parish.