Louisiana homeowners hit by 2016 flood will receive aid soon

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Restore Louisiana will begin issuing checks previously denied to homeowners affected by flooding in 2016.

News outlets report the program made the announcement Friday. The first wave of checks will be sent out Monday.

Residents were prevented from tapping into recovery funds because they sought Small Business Administration loans which were viewed as a duplication of benefits. Congress passed a bill in the fall eliminating the restriction from federal disaster policies.

About 230 homeowners who declined or canceled their SBA loan and accepted their grant agreement will receive checks first. Next will be about 800 homeowners who also declined their loan but haven't finalized their grant agreement.

The agency and the state will need up to three more months to finalize the process for those who drew from their loan.