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Rebuilding Lives, Revitalizing Communities: Louisiana

Louisiana Recovery Efforts after Katrina and Rita

Federal, State, and City employees tour a two bedroom Louisiana cottage model. FEMA allocated $275,427,730 to Mississippi and $74,542,370 to Louisiana to assist disaster survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita with permanent housing options.

Under the leadership of the Obama Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has taken important steps to improve the pace of ongoing recovery efforts and help rebuild the communities that are the economic engines of the Gulf Coast. All of these efforts have focused on finding innovative solutions to better support state and local officials, remove bureaucratic red tape that delayed recovery projects for years, and give residents the assistance they need to move forward.

Over the past five years:

• More than 91,000 displaced Louisiana families, formerly residing in FEMA-provided housing, have returned to longer-term housing
• More than $8.9 billion has been obligated to Louisiana to save lives, protect public health and safety, prevent damage to public and private property, and permanently repair or replace infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the hurricanes.

In the last 18 months:

• More than 4,349 households have found longer-term housing
• More than $2.33 billion has been funded by the Administration to continue the repair and rebuilding of more than 2,700 projects in Louisiana. This is due in large part to this Administration’s commitment to putting innovative solutions in place.

Streamlined Process to Accelerate Recovery

In the years immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many recovery projects were held up because of disputes and an inefficient process for settling them. To make this process quicker and fairer, the Obama Administration took important steps to free up funds to get projects moving forward again.

The Director of the FEMA Transitional Recovery Office participates in the dedication of one of America's only community owned Public Belt Railroad systems. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad was severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Over $16 Million in FEMA funding helped repair and/or replace items damaged by the storm.

Joint Public Assistance Decision Teams

• On March 5, 2009 FEMA established two joint public assistance decision teams to help resolve disputed projects. The teams were comprised of technical and policy experts from FEMA and the state to execute quick and fair resolutions to disputes for public works projects and determine which projects were eligible for federal aid. Due to the significant efforts of these two teams, the pace of funding has been greatly accelerated to applicants.
  
• Since March 2009, more than 173 projects have been resolved to fund the repair and replacement of facilities such as fire and police stations, schools and libraries and other infrastructure critical to the recovery of communities in the Gulf.

Neutral, Third-party Decision Making to Expedite Projects
On August 6 2009, Secretary Napolitano announced a new arbitration process to expedite resolution of outstanding public assistance projects. Under this new process, neutral, third-party panels adjudicate disputes – allowing some of the most difficult and complex disputes to get resolved. To date:

• 14 Louisiana projects have been submitted through to Arbitration process.
• 12 projects have been resolved and some of these resolutions have included freeing up $475 million in funding to Louisiana to replace Charity Hospital.

"Our commitment to the Gulf Coast remains unwavering and our determination to bring to completion many of the projects is still underway. My goal is to eliminate the red tape, help rebuild now and rebuild the region stronger than ever."
Janet Napolitano
Secretary Department of Homeland Security

Economic Relief for Local Governments

In March 2009 Secretary Napolitano announced additional flexibility for an existing federal program that provides loans to communities after a disaster to help them continue providing key municipal services that they otherwise would not be able to afford.

Under the Obama Administration’s initiative, Congress gave FEMA the authority to cancel the loans, called Special Community Disaster Loans, for eligible local governments in Louisiana and Mississippi that received them after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Under the rules set by Congress, in order to be eligible for the loan cancellation, governments’ revenues during the three fiscal years after the disaster must have been insufficient to cover their operating budgets.

Initiatives

Under the leadership of Administrator Fugate, FEMA has also launched new initiatives to better serve the American people and their communities before, during and after a disaster.

Two children examine their check-in evacuation bracelets as a State volunteer at the the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT) gets all of the evacuees information.

Expanding Access to Critical Information
In April 2010, Administrator Fugate announced the launch of FEMA's new mobile Web site, m.fema.gov. The mobile Web site makes it easier to access critical emergency preparedness information on a smartphone, including what to do before and after a disaster, and gives disaster survivors the ability to apply for disaster assistance via their smartphone.

As smartphones become cheaper and more prevalent, and wireless networks more resilient, these devices are becoming more than just simple communication tools – they can be life lines during emergencies.

Planning for the Needs of All Members of the Community
Administrator Fugate forged a working relationship with the National Commission on Children and Disasters in an effort to focus on planning for children in disasters. As an outcome, Administrator Fugate created the FEMA “Children’s Working Group” to explore and implement planning and response strategies specific to children and ensure the unique needs of children are not only considered, but fully integrated into how FEMA administers support to states and the public.

Under Administrator Fugate’s direction, FEMA also established the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination to increase capacity for meeting the emergency preparedness, disaster response, and recovery-related access and functional needs of children and adults with disabilities.

Success Stories

Tulane University's Howard Tilton Memorial Library
Public assistance grants obligated as "406 mitigation" provide cost-effective construction measures to enhance facilities’ abilities to resist similar damages in the future. This funding helps restore damaged facilities beyond their pre-disaster design.

To date, 782 Katrina and Rita recovery projects throughout Louisiana have incorporated some form of FEMA-funded 406 mitigation into their restoration. For example, Tulane University in New Orleans is utilizing nearly $16 million in FEMA 406 mitigation funds to construct two additional levels at their Howard Tilton Memorial Library.

During Hurricane Katrina, archives stored in the library's basement were severely damaged by floodwaters. To mitigate against similar future losses, Tulane plans to elevate these archives, as well as systems crucial to their daily operations, from their basement to the two, new higher floors. When this project is completed, it too will serve as another instance in which FEMA has supported rebuilding measures to help applicants avert repetitive damages to their properties.

Los Isleños Artifacts
In lower St. Bernard, a historical community—Los Isleños—exists, preserving and promoting the culture and traditions of the Canary Islanders who immigrated to Louisiana in the late 1700s. The cultural infrastructure of this community was greatly affected by Hurricane Katrina, with 10 of its facilities, including its main museum and 200-year old Ducros Library, incurring storm surges of up to 12 feet.

To date, $1.5 million in FEMA public assistance grants have been obligated for the repair or replacement of these facilities. Because this recovery project utilizes federal funding, FEMA EHP archaeologists monitored all ground-disturbing activities at the Los Isleños site. They helped conserve and protect this historically significant area while simultaneously upholding the construction schedule of the post-Katrina Los Isleños Complex.

During this process, previously unknown artifacts were discovered, including historic ceramics, glass and metal representing house sites and support structures ranging from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. As a result of these findings, FEMA recorded this area as a new archaeological site with the State Historic Preservation Office.

This site is currently eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and documents early Los Isleños culture and its subsequent human occupation. The result of these findings is significant in that it provides evidence of the initial settlement and later growth of one of Louisiana’s earliest communities. Additionally, it provides a direct, tangible link for modern Isleños descendants to their culture and history.

"Five years ago, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated communities throughout Louisiana and we can say that a lot has been accomplished. FEMA is committed to being here for as long as it takes to fully recover, and we’re working to do so in a way that builds, sustains and improves south Louisiana’s capability to protect against future hazards."
Mike Karl
FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office Interim Director

Last Modified: Friday, 27-Aug-2010 08:24:33 EDT