April 27-29: Louisiana Floodplain Management Association annual conference, Lafayette. 
 
May 1-4:  National Flood Conference, New Orleans. 
 
May 2: Belle Chasse Middle School ribbon-cutting ceremony. 
 
May 15-20: Association of State Floodplain Managers  Conference, Louisville, Ky. 
 
May 22-28: Hurricane Preparedness Week. 
 
May 24-26:  Individual Assistance Emergency Support Function 6 (ESF 6) Annual Conference, Kansas City, Mo. Registration Deadline. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Housing Update: 
 
Katrina/Rita: 
371 occupied units 
 
Gustav/Ike: 
35 occupied units 
 
 April 16-22, 2011 
 
Announcements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 FEMA: Week in Review 


Louisiana Recovery Office 
New Orleans, LA   




Calendar 





'Very Active' 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Predicted 
 
The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season will be "very active" with five major hurri-canes of Category 3 or stronger predicted, according to the latest forecast of the Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science.  
 
The report says that the prob-ability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be about 140 percent of the long-period average. 
 
"Information obtained through March 2011 indicates that the 2011 Atlantic hurricane sea-son will have significantly more activity than the aver-age 1950-2000 seasons," the report said.  
 
Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins on June 1 and ends November 30.  
 
The 2011 forecast calls for about nine hurricanes (average is 5.9), 16 named storms (average is 9.6), 80 named storm days (average is 49.1), 35 hurricane days (average is 24.5), five major (Category 3-4-5) hurricanes (average is 2.3) and 10 major hurricane days (average is 5.0).  
 
The Atlantic basin has the largest year-to-year variability of any of the global tropical cyclone basins. While it is impossible to precisely predict this season's hurricane activity in April, the Colorado State University forecasters say they issue extended-range forecasts for seasonal hurricane activity because the public is curious to know how active the upcoming season is likely to be, and to make necessary preparations. 
 
Information and planning materials to help families prepare for disasters can be found at Ready.gov. 


Storm Categories  
 
Tropical cyclones are categorized as: 
 
Tropical Depression – Maximum sustained winds of 38 mph (33 knots) or less. 
Tropical Storm -- Maxi-mum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph (34 to 63 knots).  
Hurricane -- Maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher. 
Major Hurricane -- Maxi-mum sustained winds of 111 mph (96 knots) or higher, corresponding to a Category 3, 4 or 5. 

 
Jefferson Parish School System Breaks Ground on New Facility 
 
The Jefferson Parish Public School System (JPPSS) has broken ground on an administration building to replace the previous facility that was severely dam-aged by both hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The new facility -- projected to be a three-story, 96,000-square-foot building -- is being constructed at the same location in Harvey as the old one.  
 
FEMA is paying for about 70,000 square feet of the construction, with the rest being funded by a Community Development Block Grant. To date, FEMA has obligated nearly $19.3 million for the replacement of the JPPSS administration building. FEMA also has provided $3.8 million in funding for 41,000 square feet of temporary space for school administration staff to work in during construction of the new facility.