FEMA Funds Clean-Up Work For Slidell's Sewage System
Release Date: January 29, 2009
Release Number: 1603-833
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SLIDELL, La. -- The city of Slidell will receive additional federal funding for Katrina-related work to clean the city's sewage pipelines, which were inundated with debris following the storm, announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA).
The accumulation of disaster-related debris and silt partially clogged Slidell's sewage system and required cleaning to minimize and prevent overflow in damaged or clogged areas. About 66 percent of the city's sewage pipelines were partially clogged by the debris, a total of 506,437 linear feet of pipelines.
FEMA recently provided nearly $1.1 million in additional public assistance funding to reimburse the city for its sanitary work to the pipelines, which included cleaning the sewage lines. Slidell also inspected all the pipelines via closed circuit television surveillance to ensure that all clogs were removed.
"FEMA has worked with the city of Slidell to ensure that federal funds were allocated for the cleaning of the city's pipelines," said Jim Stark, director of FEMA's Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. "Having provided more than $2 million in total federal funding to date for this project, Slidell will be reimbursed for all completed eligible sanitary work to its sewage system."
"This project will restore a basic need for the citizens of Slidell, which is an important step in recovery and rebuilding," said LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater. "The LRA remains committed to debris removal as part of the recovery process."
When project funds are obligated by FEMA through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a federal Smartlink account. Once the funds have reached this account, the applicant can request reimbursement from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) for eligible work completed. Obligated funds may change over time as the project worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.
During his first day in office, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an Executive Order directing the Louisiana Recovery Authority to be responsible for the state's actions with regard to FEMA's Public Assistance program. The LRA is working in conjunction with GOHSEP and its federal partners to identify ways to streamline the Public Assistance process and improve efficiency, with the ultimate goal of cutting in half the length of time that applications spend in the process.
The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations' buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewage plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Friday, 30-Jan-2009 11:16:18