Federal Relief Centers Open in Louisiana

Federal offices opened Saturday in five hurricane-hammered communities, taking the first of thousands of requests for emergency housing and other needs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also declared seven more parishes disaster areas, bringing the total to 15 parishes eligible for state and federal assistance in recovering from Hurricane Andrew.

An army of utility workers toiled in the Louisiana sun to restore power to 103,000 customers enduring their fifth day without electricity. Meanwhile, millions of dead fish washed up on southern shores.

And 1,279 National Guardsmen cooked meals, delivered water, protected businesses with their M-16 rifles, directed traffic and picked up debris left by the storm, which hit Louisiana on Tuesday after walloping southern Florida and the Bahamas.

Relief agencies struggled to deliver food, water and other goods.

As many as 30,000 people are displaced, including 1,500 staying in Red Cross shelters, state officials said. About 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm, which was blamed for four deaths and caused about $300 million in damage to crops and property in Louisiana.

FEMA centers opened in Franklin, Plaquemine, Houma, Morgan City and New Iberia.

The first checks should be in the hands of recipients by Tuesday, said FEMA regional director Brad Harris. Among the aid available is money for food, clothing, transportation and temporary housing; loans of up $150,000 to restore a home and its contents; and loans of up to $500,000 to rebuild a business.