HARRISONBURG — With Catahoula Parish now included in the federal disaster declaration, residents are eligible for federal disaster assistance for damage caused by Hurricane Gustav.

Catahoula Parish was affected by both high winds during the storm and flooding caused by extensive rainfall afterwards.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, that assistance could include, as needed and warranted, rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes were made unlivable, grants for home repairs or property replacement to make homes sanitary and functional that was not covered in insurance claims and low interest loans to cover residential and business losses not covered by insurance.

Farmers may be eligible for a loan of as much as $500,000 to cover production and property losses, and some residents may qualify for assistance to make up for lost wages due to an interruption caused by the storm.

If the need arises, there may be FEMA sites set up in the parish to provide person-to-person help for those applying, Catahoula Parish Homeland Security Director Debra Renda said.

To apply for the assistance, residents can register online at www.fema.gov.

They can also register by phone at 1-800-621-3362 or the hearing impaired can register by phone at 1-800-462-7585.

Registration by phone can be done between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

Residents applying for aid are encouraged to have the address and directions to the damaged property read, as well as a current mailing address and a telephone number where FEMA can reach them.

They should have their and their spouse’s social security numbers, information about their private insurance policy and bank information for direct deposit.