A majority of evacuees from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, those being housed in the Alexandria mega-shelter or hotels in Louisiana and Texas, are returning to their homes this week. Emergency Preparedness Director with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Ricky Montet says they have been communicating with evacuees whose homes are now safe to return.
“And their assessments show that their homes were either minor damage or just affected,” said Montet. “These are folks whose homes should be livable based on their first assessment.”
There are reports of evacuees receiving text messages that their stay at a hotel is set to end. DCFS officials say they these individuals receive word well before that time.
Montet says with power and water restored to the affected areas and stores reopening, evacuees are cleared by parish officials to return to livable housing. For those whose homes are not safe.
“If their homes came back with a major or destroyed assessment those folks will remain in shelters until a longer-term solution is available,” said Montet.
For evacuees without transportation, Montet says they made arrangements with DOTD and even the Department of Agriculture to assist with large animals.
“We told all of those individuals that said they needed transportation assistance that we would have busses for them to bring them back,” said Montet.
Montet anticipates a few thousand evacuees will continue to be housed in hotels and shelters, awaiting a long-term solution, either direct housing or a FEMA trailer.
As of Monday morning, there were 6,558 Louisianans in shelters, either a dozen different hotels and just over 1oo evacuees at the mega-shelter in Alexandria. Most of the 910 Hurricane Lauara evacuees in Texas were set to return home on Monday.
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