FEMADR-1603-LAMajor disasterDeclared August 29, 2005
DR-1603-LA: Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Louisiana (DR-1603-LA) on August 29, 2005 for the incident of August 29, 2005 to November 1, 2005; it covers 64 designated areas. FEMA had approved $5.2 billion for 736,020 households through the Individuals and Households Program (as of October 1, 2026) and obligated $13.6 billion in Public Assistance (as of September 28, 2026).
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-1603-LA (also written FEMA-1603-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Louisiana
- Incident
- Hurricane: Hurricane Katrina
- Incident period
- August 29, 2005 to November 1, 2005
- Declared
- August 29, 2005
- Programs declared
- Individuals and Households, Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation
- FEMA region
- 6
- Place in the year
- the second of 3 major disaster declarations for Louisiana in 2005
- Status
- open (not yet closed out by FEMA)
- Registration deadline (individual help)
- April 10, 2006
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Which areas are covered, and for what?
| Designated area | Individuals and Households | Individual Assistance (older program) | Public Assistance | Hazard Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allen (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Ascension (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Assumption (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Avoyelles (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Beauregard (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bienville (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bossier (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Caddo (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Calcasieu (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Caldwell (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Cameron (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Catahoula (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Claiborne (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Concordia (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| De Soto (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| East Baton Rouge (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| East Carroll (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| East Feliciana (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Evangeline (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Franklin (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Grant (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Iberia (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Iberville (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jackson (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Jefferson (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jefferson Davis (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| La Salle (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Lafayette (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lafourche (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lincoln (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Livingston (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Madison (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Morehouse (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Natchitoches (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Orleans (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ouachita (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Plaquemines (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pointe Coupee (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rapides (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Red River (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Richland (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Sabine (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| St. Bernard (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Charles (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Helena (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. James (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. John the Baptist (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Landry (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| St. Martin (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Mary (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Tammany (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tangipahoa (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tensas (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Terrebonne (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Union (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Vermilion (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vernon (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Washington (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webster (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| West Baton Rouge (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| West Carroll (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| West Feliciana (Parish) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Winn (Parish) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
An area can be added to a declaration after the first day, or have a program added: this table is FEMA's current list.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
How much has FEMA approved?
736,020households approved for help (IHP)
$5.2 billionIndividuals and Households Program approved
$3.7 billionof it for housing
$1.5 billionof it for other needs
$13.6 billionPublic Assistance obligated
$1.7 billionHazard Mitigation Grant Program obligated
Individual assistance figures as of October 1, 2026, public assistance as of September 28, 2026. FEMA updates both as applications are decided.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2); FEMA, OpenFEMA FEMA Web Disaster Summaries (v1). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/1603. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application. Registration for individual help closed on April 10, 2006.