FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006

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CONTACT: DENISE BOTTCHER
RODERICK HAWKINS
225-342-9037

Displaced Louisiana residents are encouraged to call 24-hour, 7-day housing registry and start on the road home

BATON ROUGE, La. Starting today, Louisiana citizens displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita can register key information about their damaged homes by calling The Road Home, the state's new Housing Registry, or logging on to a new, one-stop web portal -

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Homeowners are encouraged to call The Road Home at 888-ROAD 2 LA
(888-762-3252) to register for the state's housing recovery program. This registry pertains only to homes that were occupied by homeowners and damaged by hurricanes Katrina or Rita.

Registrants calling The Road Home or logging onto

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will be asked to provide important information, including a resident's name, current address and the location of the affected home, phone numbers, mortgage information, the status of any insurance settlements and any FEMA or U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) applications or assistance.

"This registration program is the first step on the road home for hundreds of thousands of our families, neighbors and friends. The Road Home housing registry will verify home addresses and ownership information. With this input, we can start the process of determining a homeowner's eligibility for funding," said Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. "A homeowner will have several funding options available if he or she wants to be a part of our repair, rebuild and restoration effort. We need these citizens more than ever and want them to make their future in Louisiana, helping build a stronger, safer and smarter state."

The Road Home is a comprehensive registry for owners of homes damaged by Katrina and Rita. "This program will be in existence for an extended period so we can be sure as much homeowner information as possible is collected. It is not first-come, first-served because it is more important to get all the information required to determine eligibility," said Blanco.

The Road Home call center is an important option for a majority of displaced homeowners who have phone service, but Governor Blanco also invited them to use the Louisiana Rebuilds web portal. "For those with Internet access, registering online will save time. It is necessary to fill out only one form, whether by phone or online. Besides, there is a wealth of other information on Louisiana Rebuilds that they will want to keep track of in the coming weeks," she said.

The new recovery-based web portal -

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- is a one-stop, online resource that includes updated content and links to resources both nationally and locally that present all types of information related to recovery and rebuilding following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

LouisianaRebuilds.info includes regularly updated information about:

Individual neighborhood, parish and statewide rebuilding efforts, affordable housing, transportation, schools and health care;
Help for business owners and entrepreneurs;
Pending legislation, policy issues and voting information; and
Community resources and funding opportunities for nonprofits.
The portal is sponsored by a collaborative of government, private and non-profit partners, including Louisiana Recovery Authority, Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the State of Louisiana, Neighborhood 1, City of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans Nonprofit, Knowledge Works, New Orleans Virtual Diaspora Network, Carrollton Technology Partners, Innovative Intermedia, LLC, Grassroots Enterprise, Inc., Living Cities, One Economy Corporation and PolicyLink.

Once the housing registration process is completed, homeowners can call and update their information. Contact numbers and websites will be provided during the registration interview or upon completion of the online registration process.

Blanco said her goal is welcoming back all displaced Louisianians who want to return to the state. "I am encouraged each day by our citizens and their love for our state and their determination to come back and live the life that only we know. I am working with thousands of dedicated professionals in state government to get these families back. Now we have The Road Home, our first step," she said.

Governor Blanco will hold a press conference to demonstrate how affected homeowners can register on the web portal tomorrow, Thursday, March 9, 2006 at 10 a.m. at a place to be announced.

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People

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1-877-HELPLA1 (877-435-7521)