Parish included in disaster declaration

St. Tammany Parish qualified as a federal disaster area Thursday afternoon, paving way for Hurricane Gustav victims to receive a financial jolt to recover from storm-related expenses.

Originally shut out of a 34-parish list that qualified for the aid under a disaster declaration by President Bush, St. Tammany was finally included after Gov. Bobby Jindal — alongside area congressmen and local political leaders — cried foul.

Tangipahoa Parish was also included on Thursday.

“We are very grateful,” St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis said in a quick statement. “This money will help our citizens in this recovery.”

The designation now allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to dole out up to $28,800 per household in rental assistance, replacement or repairs of personal property and reimbursement for medical expenses and vehicle damage to those affected by the storm, according to the FEMA Web site, www.FEMA.gov.

Only one allocation is allowed per household.

“FEMA’s position is not to make you whole,” FEMA spokesman Manuel Broussard said. “That’s what insurance is for, but we want to help you get up and going.”

The designation came three days after the Hurricane Gustav clipped St. Tammany, dumping waist-high storm surges on the Mandeville Lakefront, flooding Palm Lake and other low-lying areas in Slidell and destroying several homes throughout the parish.

At the height of the storm up to 89,000 people were powerless.

The designation, however, does not cover debris removal for parish government, Broussard said.

The debris left in Gustav’s wake is “an amount the parish should be able to handle,” he said.

Parish officials and emergency personnel, however, will be refunded overtime pay for employees and any other administrative costs associated with storm response, according to a disaster declaration declared Aug. 29, Broussard said.