Storm-affected La. residents can turn to Web portal

The site, called LouisianaRebuilds.info, will provide updated national and local content about resources and information related to rebuilding and planning, according to a press release. The site will also provide information on assistance for business owners; community resources; funding opportunities for nonprofit groups; news about communities rebuilding; and other information related to policy, legislative and voting issues.

One component of the new portal is the state’s new comprehensive housing registry application, “The Road Home.” The registry contains only information on storm-damaged homes that were occupied by homeowners. Registrants will need to provide data about themselves, their property and other pertinent information.

“The Road Home housing registry will verify home addresses and ownership information,” Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said in the release. “With this input, we can start the process of determining a homeowner's eligibility for funding. A homeowner will have several funding options available if he or she wants to be a part of our repair, rebuild and restoration effort.”

The one-stop portal was developed with help from several groups, including Living Cities, PolicyLink and the Louisiana Recovery Authority, a group Blanco appointed to oversee planning of the state’s recovery and rebuilding efforts.