Calcasieu Receives Funding To Acquire Excessive Flood Loss Homes
Release Date: July 23, 2009
Release Number: 1603-863
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CALCASIEU PARISH, La. -- The voluntary actions of several homeowners in Calcasieu Parish have laid the foundation for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) to provide $1.1 million to the parish for acquisition of five residential properties.
The five acquired properties will become permanent green space.
This funding, provided under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), supports Calcasieu Parish's initiative to prevent future flood losses to these properties. The parish will acquire the properties, demolish the homes on them and keep and maintain the land as open green space for the community.
"Since these properties are on the National Flood Insurance Program's repetitive loss list, Calcasieu Parish officials, in conjunction with the homeowners and the state, determined that their acquisition was the most cost effective mitigation measure," said FEMA's Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office Acting Director Tony Russell. "At FEMA, we're happy to support this mitigation initiative. It will benefit the current homeowners by eliminating their risk for future flooding, while providing the larger community with open green space for their enjoyment."
In addition, this initiative has the potential to save millions in future recovery dollars because a congressionally mandated study conducted for FEMA revealed that mitigation saves society an average of $4 for every dollar spent. Applying this finding to FEMA's recent mitigation funding to acquire five properties in Calcasieu Parish translates into a potential savings of more than $4.4 million in the event of a future storm.
LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater said, "We are often asked in Washington, D.C. if our state and local authorities are using recovery resources wisely, and this is a great example of our state and parish officials, as well as our citizens, making sound decisions to rebuild safer, smarter and stronger."
The HMGP provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
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: Thursday, 23-Jul-2009 12:20:28