VIDALIA, La. — People in Concordia, Catahoula and four surrounding parishes can apply as early as Thursday for money to help buy air conditioners and fans and pay electric bills.

The LaSalle Community Action Agency has received $136,226 from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, including $29,266 to distribute in Concordia Parish.

Preference will first be given to the elderly, disabled people and families with small children who currently have no air conditioning, said agency Director Dorothy Oliver.

&uot;They have a choice — they can take an air conditioner or a fan or can use it toward their utility payments,&uot;&160;Oliver said.

Payments will be made directly to vendors instead of applicants, she added.

Applications will be taken starting Thursday.

Concordia Parish residents can apply at the agency’s Workforce Center, which is located at the Ferriday unemployment office on E.E. Wallace Boulevard.

Louisiana as a whole received $4,215,913 of the $35 million in emergency energy assistance funds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released to eight Southern states.

&uot;The money has been distributed to 43 community action agencies throughout the state, and some are starting to disburse the money this week,&uot; Anthony Ellis, public information officer for the Louisiana Office of Community Services, said Thursday.

The reason for the Lasalle Community Action Agency’s delay in dispersing the emergency money is that the agency just finished handing out its regular energy assistance funds for this month, Oliver said.

&uot;Those who received those (regular energy) funds can still apply for these emergency funds, too,&uot; she added.