Plaquemines Parish, LA
February, 2009

Feeling of Community
FEMA obligates more than $585 million to help rebuild Plaquemines Parish after Hurricane Katrina. That includes more than $14 million for 4 brand new community centers.

Hurricane Katrina devastated most of Plaquemines Parish.  The whole east bank and south end of the parish was inundated with water. Several levee breaches and pretty much wiped out.

In Plaquemines Parish, I think we're far ahead of all the other parishes and I think we're there because we don't set our expectations that FEMA is going to solve every problem for us, because that's not their job. Their job is to replace what was taken from us by Katrina.

You only seem to see the negative things about what's not working. It worked well here in Plaquemines, and you know there was a little frustration going back on versions and changing but that's the checks and balances that have to be done, to make sure we're spending the government money properly.

We had 9 community centers in Plaquemines Parish before Katrina. We don't need 9 afterwards. Because FEMA was open to putting those buildings together, building 4 in the best areas where the most people were back,  and combining those buildings and not penalizing the parish, it just worked out great and I can't tell you, without the people really caring on the team, that wouldn't have happened.

That is a great success story, both in the state, parish and FEMA, shows what groups working together can do. 
By the end of this year and early next year, we expect to have all of our buildings back and be back 100 percent.