Hurricane Laura's Louisiana death toll rises to 14; six parishes eligible for FEMA help

Louisiana's Hurricane Laura death toll rose by two to 14 Sunday as survivors continued to dig out from the devastation with efforts hampered by power outages that may last a month and dry water spigots in many of the hardest-hit areas.

The Louisiana Department of Health said a 57-year-old Calcasieu Parish man died from a head injury after falling from a roof he was trying to repair. Another unidentified Calcasieu resident died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

More than 350,000 Louisianans from Cameron to Lake Charles and Alexandria to Monroe remained without electricity Sunday, while 87 waters systems serving upward of 150,000 people remained inoperable.

Federal aid available in six parishes

There was some good news, though, as Vernon became the sixth parish made eligible for federal aid through President Trump's major disaster declaration.

Hurricane Laura devastates Louisiana:See before and after photos of the damage

That means those affected in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vernon can apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"I want to encourage anyone from these parishes to apply for assistance today,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has asked that 17 more parishes be added to the list.

"For the people in other parishes that were impacted, but not yet approved for aid, please know that we will continue damage assessments and do expect additional parishes to be authorized," he said.

FEMA assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property loss and other programs to help people and businesses recover.

People who sustained losses can apply online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.

Edwards said 52,000 had registered by Monday afternoon.

Thousands of power outages, roads still blocked

Entergy, the largest provider, has about 13,000 personnel from 29 states with boots on the ground in Louisiana, but 500 transmission towers were wiped out by the hurricane in Lake Charles alone.

More:Hurricane Laura power outage map: Acadiana at 2,253 power outages, state sees over 350,000

Beauregard Electric Cooperative, which serves hard-hit DeRidder, told its members in a Facebook post it will be at least four weeks before their power is restored. "Members could be without power for longer depending on the damage in their area," the post said.

"We're asking for the patience of the people of Louisiana (for power restoration)," Edwards said during a late afternoon press conference.

Louisiana Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson said his agency and its contractors have cleared about 98% of state roads of debris. Only those roads under water or covered with live power lines remain.

Wilson told USA Today Network debris removal on the side of the roads will begin Monday in Acadiana and southwestern and central Louisiana Monday, while crews will begin removing debris from the northeastern Louisiana region Tuesday.

Louisiana's National Guard has set up distribution points in Lincoln, Jackson, Beauregard, Allen, Calcasieu, Grant and Ouachita parishes to provide supplies like water and military-type meal rations.

"The Louisiana National Guard is doing tremendous work across the state," Edwards said.

The American Red Cross on Sunday established two sites in Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles Civic Center, McMurry Park in Sulphur) and two sites in Beauregard Parish (1011 N. Pine St., DeRidder, and 12380 Highway 171 in Longville) to provide emergency supplies like cleanup kits.

Those sites will operate from noon-3 p.m.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1