The full scope of damage in Louisiana from Hurricane Isaac is not yet known, as people are just returning to the hardest-hit areas to clean up, but emergency officials estimate that at least 13,000 homes were damaged. If the number of people who requested government assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) is a guide, the number of damaged homes could be far higher. A spokeswoman from the governor's office said the preliminary home-damage figures were based on a first review of communities with flooding and wind damage. “Our preliminary assessments are driven by conditions on the ground, and in some areas flooding limits where the teams can go. We do expect that this number could rise after FEMA completes house-by-house inspections as residents register for individual assistance," said Christina Stephens. Nearly 95,000 people signed up for individual aid from FEMA, for grants to help repair homes and replace storm-damaged belongings, according to numbers provided by the office of Governor Bobby Jindal. But not all of those who register will be eligible for aid. Isaac came ashore in Louisiana near the mouth of the Mississippi River as a Category-1 hurricane, relatively weak compared to other recent named storms, but it flooded several low-lying areas.
