Louisiana Gets Emergency Funds: Five Grants for Disaster Relief

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, has had a record-setting start. This makes finding funding for disaster relief more important now than ever.

Grants are one way organizations and individuals can get disaster relief funding. GrantWatch has an entire category for disaster relief grants. It also has a category for quality of life that could help people recovering from a natural disaster.

Louisiana Awarded $5 Million in Emergency Relief (ER) Funds

At the end of August, Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing major damage from Louisiana all the way to New York. The hurricane hit Louisiana over a decade after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the state.

Hurricane Ida destroyed homes and businesses, forcing hundreds of thousands of people in high-water zones to evacuate. The death count from Hurricane Ida has increased weekly, surpassing more than 90 deaths in the U.S. According to PowerOutage.US, more than 1 million customers were without power in Louisiana and Mississippi.

So far, $5 million in federal relief funds has already been awarded to Louisiana to help the state recover from the damage. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and is specifically for repairs to roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Ida.

And this isn’t the only natural disaster that has occurred. California has been battling wildfires all year and many other states have been affected by tornados, earthquakes, or other hurricanes. These natural disasters can cause severe damages for families, individuals, and businesses. Funding is important, because it provides crucial services such as shelter, food, and other necessities. Below, are five disaster relief grants available on GrantWatch.

Disaster Relief Grants to Aid in Recovery

1. Grants of $2,500 to U.S. and territories entrepreneurs to support recovery after a natural disaster. Eligible applicants are Etsy sellers who have experienced a natural disaster within the past year.
2. There are grants available to U.S. Canada, and International organizations to support disaster relief efforts that benefit animals. Funding will help support organizations offering financial or physical assistance in local recovery efforts.
3. And there are grants available to U.S. pubic schools to rebuild library collections in the wake of natural disasters. Funding will help help school libraries that incurred damages to their collections, media, or equipment due to natural disasters.
4. There are grants available to U.S. optometrists and optometry students to address critical needs due to disasters. Grants of up to $250 and grants of up to $4,000 are available.
5. And finally, there are grants to Louisiana nonprofits in eligible regions to support relief efforts from Hurricane Ida. Priority will be services addressing urgent needs.