[StBernard] FEMA's Private Property Debris Removal in the State Nears End

[Westley Annis]

FEMA's Private Property Debris Removal in the State Nears End  

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Thirteen parishes affected by hurricanes Katrina and
Rita have benefited from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA)
private property debris removal program. Now, 14 months after the state of
Louisiana requested assistance with the effort, FEMA is nearing the
completion of this mission. 

(Media-Newswire.com) - NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Thirteen parishes affected by
hurricanes Katrina and Rita have benefited from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's ( FEMA ) private property debris removal program. Now,
14 months after the state of Louisiana requested assistance with the effort,
FEMA is nearing the completion of this mission.

Only four parishes remain in the program. As established by FEMA, residents
from Jefferson and Orleans parishes interested in free storm debris pick up
from their properties have until May 31, 2007 to submit their requests to
their local parishes. Residents of Plaquemines have until June 29and those
of St. Bernard until July 31.

FEMA has completed the private property debris removal in Calcasieu,
Cameron, Iberia and Vermillion parishes -all of which were strongly hit by
Hurricane Rita. The other participating parishes were Lafourche, St.
Charles, St. Tammany, Terrebonne and Washington.

To date, a total of 60,746 properties have been serviced in the 13 affected
parishes. This number will reach 64,000 when the debris removal program ends
in July in St. Bernard. By then, of all the parishes, Orleans will have
generated the most number of houses in need of debris removal assistance,
almost 26,200; followed by St. Tammany, about 16,000; Jefferson,
approximately 10,150; and St. Bernard, almost 7,300.

"By removing a substantial amount of debris, we are saving the parish a
large amount of money, as well as eliminating a safety and health hazard for
residents," said Jim Stark, FEMA director of the Louisiana Transitional
Recovery Office. "We are committed to paving the way for the reconstruction
of Louisiana neighborhoods."

The disaster-related debris picked up from private properties includes
construction and demolition rubble, sediment, tires, vehicles, vessels and
vegetative material, such as saltwater-killed trees. 

As of today, 58,336 saltwater-killed trees have been abated from private and
public properties in seven parishes: Cameron, Jefferson, Orleans,
Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles and St. Tammany -areas inundated with
saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. The saltwater-killed tree number will
increase to almost 71,000 by the end of the debris removal program. It is
estimated that Orleans will produce the most saltwater-killed trees, 37,800;
followed by St. Tammany, 15,262; Plaquemines, 9,100; and St. Bernard, 6,500.


Most of the parishes implemented their own programs. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers executed the debris removal in St. Tammany Parish and is executing
it in Jefferson and Orleans parishes.

"The approaching end of the private property debris removal program is an
exciting milestone for the Corps," said Mike Smith, deputy director for the
Corps' Louisiana Recovery Field Office. "That means that properties have
been readied for thousands of families to begin their return to as normal a
life as possible after Katrina."

To register for the private property debris removal in Jefferson Parish,
call the Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs at ( 504 )
731-4612. In Orleans Parish, call the city of New Orleans Information
Hotline at ( 504 ) 658-2299. To register in Plaquemines Parish, call
Plaquemines Parish Government at ( 504 ) 297-5300; and in St. Bernard, the
Department of Public Works at ( 504 ) 278-4317.

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.