[StBernard] Governor Blanco, parish leaders ask President to continue federal reimbursement for hurricane cleanup

[Westley Annis]

Governor Blanco, parish leaders ask President to continue federal
reimbursement for hurricane cleanup work 

Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and parish government leaders from
Katrina - and Rita - impacted areas today wrote to President Bush asking for
extension of FEMA's 100% reimbursement for Category A&B emergency work,
including debris removal. 

In the letter, Blanco and the parish leaders said: "Ending the 100%
reimbursement policy on June 30th will obstruct the work underway in our
communities and neighborhoods. Rebuilding our communities is a challenge of
a magnitude never before faced in this country. We cannot afford to delay
the good work underway by a single minute. We do not need unnecessary
roadblocks at a time when we are moving forward in creating the roadmaps to
our future."


Please view the text of the letter below:


April 20, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House 
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

On Monday, Secretary Chertoff and I participated in a productive meeting in
preparation for the June 1st start of hurricane season. As you know,
hurricane season is less than 45 days away. We agreed to remain in close
communication as we proceed with our emergency preparedness planning. 

I took this opportunity to update Secretary Chertoff on important steps
underway at the state level to incorporate the lessons learned from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Further, we reviewed several specific requests
for federal support to supplement state resources. As we saw by the
devastation unleashed during the last hurricane season, state resources,
even when fully deployed, may not be enough. I am grateful for Secretary
Chertoff's commitment on behalf of your Administration to work with us as we
move forward.

A key recovery-related issue discussed at Monday's meeting is my ongoing
request for an extension of FEMA's 100% reimbursement period for Category
A&B emergency work. I have made certain that both Secretary Chertoff and
FEMA Director David Paulison understand the crucial nature of this request
that is so important to our continued cleanup progress.

Local leaders representing many of the most affected parishes join me in
writing this letter to you. We believe that it is important to bring our
request to your personal attention. Together, we urge you to extend the 100%
reimbursement period for eligible emergency work. As we continue to make
progress with debris removal and emergency cleanup on the ground, we stand
united in our urgent request for an extension. 

The current June 30th deadline for the 100% reimbursement period for
eligible emergency work is just around the corner. We are making great
strides in debris removal and recovery efforts at the local level. You have
been in our communities, and you have seen firsthand the magnitude of the
task at hand. 

To date, we have hauled away well over 25 times the amount of debris that
was hauled from the World Trade Center. In spite of the significant work
that has been completed, we still have a long road ahead of us in our
cleanup efforts. 

Ending the 100% reimbursement policy on June 30th will obstruct the work
underway in our communities and neighborhoods. Rebuilding our communities is
a challenge of a magnitude never before faced in this country. We cannot
afford to delay the good work underway by a single minute. We do not need
unnecessary roadblocks at a time when we are moving forward in creating the
roadmaps to our future. 

We ask that you extend the 100% reimbursement deadline at minimum through
this coming hurricane season, and ideally until the job is done. There is a
clear historical precedent for extending FEMA's 100% reimbursement policy.
For example, the federal government saw fit to continue the 100%
reimbursement policy indefinitely after the September 11th terrorist
attacks. Another example is the federal government's decision to extend this
policy to help affected communities recover in the aftermath of Hurricane
Andrew. 

We greatly appreciate your continued commitment to the rebuilding of
Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast Region. Chairman Don Powell has been an
attentive ambassador to the region on behalf of your administration, and has
gone to great lengths to work with us. We ask you to hear our unified
request for this extension. A timely response from you on this matter will
enable us to continue - without interruption - the cleanup work underway. 

We stand united in our determination to rebuild our neighborhoods and
communities safer, stronger and better than before. Thank you for continuing
to support this mission. 

Sincerely yours,


Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Governor of Louisiana

Michael E. Danahay 
Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President 

Douaine Conner 
Cameron Parish President

Will Langlinais 
Iberia Parish President 

Aaron Broussard
Jefferson Parish President

Charlotte Randolph 
Lafourche Parish President 

Ray Nagin
Mayor of New Orleans

Benny Rousselle 
Plaquemines Parish President 

Roland Dartez
Police Jury Assn, Executive Director

Junior Rodriquez 
St. Bernard Parish President 

Kevin Davis
St. Tammany Parish President

Gordon A. Burgess 
Tangipahoa Parish President 

Mark Poche
Vermilion Parish Police Jury President

CC: Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
David Paulison, Director of FEMA
Don Powell, Federal Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Recovery


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