FEMA Funds Help Tulane University Roll Again After Katrina
Release Date: July 21, 2009
Release Number: 1603-862
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) announced an additional $32.9 million in federal funding to reconcile costs for work done across Tulane's campuses following Hurricane Katrina.
Following the storm, Tulane University - the Crescent City's largest employer as well as one of the city's leading higher education institutions - was faced with the monumental challenge of recovering from damage to its four Louisiana campuses. In order to reopen for the 2006 spring semester, the university employed teams of contractors and ordered materials in bulk to complete its aggressive multi-facility restoration effort.
More than $241 million was processed in Hurricane Katrina damage claims for Tulane University. The university recouped a substantial amount of these claims from its insurance providers. FEMA supplemented their insurance proceeds with approximately $95 million in public assistance grants, including the recent $32.9 million in funding released after the university submitted final documentation.
"Through working with the university and the state, FEMA is able to support additional eligible work that is not just specific to one building, but is related to restoring all damaged facilities," said FEMA's Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office Acting Director Tony Russell. "Unquestionably, this multi-facility restoration effort will help Tulane as it continues its recovery and renewal in Hurricane Katrina's wake."
In general, the recent funding from the federal agency reimburses Tulane for initial recovery efforts completed across its multiple facilities, including such work as ordering materials for various campus repair projects, restoring areas where the materials were staged and performing site supervision.
LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater said, "Having the university come back as quickly as it did from Hurricane Katrina allowed both students and employees to return to some sense of normalcy, and we applaud their efforts. Tony Russell and his team at FEMA have done a good job working through complicated rebuilding issues to support Tulane's recovery, which has been important for New Orleans."
When FEMA approves projects 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.
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 sewer 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's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 21-Jul-2009 14:33:43