FEMA Olla, LA APPEAL

APPEAL FOR DENIAL of Assistance for the Parishes of:
Caldwell, LaSalle, Grant, St Tammany and Vernon LOUISIANA
and the Town of Olla, LOUISIANA


Due to the storm system which struck central Louisiana on the evening of November 23, 2004, the citizens of Caldwell, LaSalle, Grant, St Tammany and Vernon Parishes as well as the Town of Olla sustained a significant amount of damage (as well as loss of human life) which we believe entitles us to financial aid from the United Sates Government and in particular the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.)

Therefore, we, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, do petition the United States Government, State of Louisiana and, in particular, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.) to reconsider the position taken by F.E.M.A concerning the Town of Olla, as well as a the Parishes of Caldwell, LaSalle, Grant, St. Tammany and Vernon which were directly impacted by this disaster on November 23, 2004.

We believe that the situation of the citizens affected in these areas has not been properly considered by the United States Government and in particular F.E.M.A. and request the decision made by F.E.M.A. be reversed and these citizens be granted aid from the United States Government.


Our Story in Olla, LA

On 11/23/04, two days before Thanksgiving, Olla suffered a tornado of F2 & F3 magnitude. Olla lost approximately 32.7\% of its residential housing. Over 166 properties have been leveled or damaged out of an inventory of 587 houses identified in the Olla 2000 Census. Of the 192 properties we have identified approximately 48 that are uninsured property owners ranging in family size from one to nine, with an average of three persons per family. Our 192 Tornado victims do not have available local housing. The current inventory equals seven available properties for purchase or rent. These properties or structurally dated and require some work in all but two cases. There is minimal opportunity for housing within a 20 mile radius.

The Town of Olla needs your help. FEMA has denied our plea for assistance. Our appeal is on the Governors desk. The new FEMA guidelines require communities to reach a number threshold, which Olla did not meet, although 32.7\% of our community was destroyed. Our plea is that FEMA cannot just use the number threshold in rural areas. We believe this to be discriminatory against small communities. According to these guidelines we would have had to have a total destruction to meet their criteria. If Chicago, or any other metropolitan area, had suffered a 32.7\% loss there would have been a national outcry for assistance.