On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana near Port Fourchon this past Sunday as a strong Category 4. The extent of the damage is still unknown; power is still off for more than a million Louisiana residents, while temperatures this week will top the 90s. At the tail end of its path of destruction, Ida devastated the Northeast, leaving at least 24 people dead.

Disability and Disaster Hotline:
(800) 626-4959 or info@disasterstrategies.org

Our Disability & Disaster Hotline serves disabled disaster survivors across the country year-round. In the last three days, we have received over 130 assistance requests from our Hotline, with most calls coming from Louisiana. We continue to connect disaster relief resources and information and provide technical assistance with the FEMA Disaster Assistance applications.

Types of requests we are receiving and responding to: 

• Fear of going to shelters due to COVID-19
• Assistance with non-congregate shelter options, such as hotels/motels
• Financial assistance to pay for hotel stays, generators, home repairs, etc,
• Access to disability-related needs
  • Personal Attendant Services request from folks who cannot leave their home 
  • Running out of consumable medical supplies (g-tube supplies, PICC-line supplies)
  • Oxygen 
  • Refrigeration needs, dry ice re: diabetes supplies
  • Power to charge wheelchairs and cochlear implants
• Wellness check requests from family and friends outside the impacted areas
• Evacuation assistance
• Food/Water
• FEMA denials / FEMA application assistance

We are in direct communication with disability community stakeholders such as the Centers for Independent Living in Hurricane Ida's path and surrounding impacted areas and our relief partners, Trach Mommas of Louisiana. We are also working closely with the American Red Cross, public health departments, emergency management agencies, and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, as well as CrowdSource Rescue and others on the ground.