[StBernard] $9 Million Approved for Jefferson Parish Elevation Project

[Westley Annis]

Nearly $9 MILLION IN State and Federal Assistance Approved for Elevation Project in Jefferson parish


METAIRIE, La. (September 24, 2007) - Today the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced approval of nearly $9 million to elevate 76 homes in Jefferson Parish.

"Hazard mitigation is one of the state's top recovery priorities," said LRA Board member Tim Coulon. "In total, more than $19 million in state and federal assistance has been provided through Louisiana's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to elevate more than 100 homes in Jefferson Parish that are on the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) severe repetitive loss list. As a result of these investments, we are making significant progress toward our ultimate goal of reducing risk from future storms."

Approved by GOHSEP and FEMA, hazard mitigation plans enable communities to take actions to reduce or eliminate long-term risks to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. 

"The GOHSEP Mitigation staff has worked tirelessly with the Jefferson Parish staff on these very important projects," said Casey Levy, State Hazard Mitigation Officer. "It is gratifying to see that their efforts, in conjunction with the FEMA Mitigation staff, have now resulted in the approval of funds to elevate the homes of seventy-six (76) Jefferson Parish families. GOHSEP will continue to work diligently with FEMA and the parishes to secure funding for the other eligible projects that have been submitted under the HMGP." 

The $8.75 million in funding comes from three separate HMGP applications and will go toward raising 76 homes in Jefferson Parish to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) level. 

Although 100 percent of Jefferson Parish's land area is within a 100-year floodplain, some areas of the parish receive more flooding due to storm surge. Elevating these structures will result in incremental improvement in flood resistant housing and significantly reduce the potential for these structures to sustain flood damage, especially repetitive flood damage. 

The Jefferson Parish municipalities covered in this application ranked No.1 in the state for flood risk, No. 2 for storm surge and levee failure in the context of relative risk as summarized by the state of Louisiana's hazard mitigation plan.

"Though we cannot control nature, we can lower vulnerability to damages from natural hazards by building to the risk that exists, repairing to a higher level and financially insuring structures and their contents," said Jim Stark, FEMA's director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. "We are proud to have worked closely with the Hazard Mitigation staff at GOHSEP and the LRA to award Jefferson Parish this funding for their elevation projects."

Alternative mitigation actions were considered for these projects, but elevation was determined to be the most cost effective and beneficial action. 

As defined by the NFIP, severe repetitive loss homes have suffered incurred flood losses that resulted in either two or more flood insurance claims payments that together exceeded the value of the property or four or more flood insurance claims payments that each exceeded $5,000. At least two of those payments must have occurred in a 10-year period, with the total claims paid exceeding $20,000.

About 1,700 homes, or about one-third of the severely and repetitively damaged homes in America, are in Louisiana. 

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program 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.

The LRA authorized the release of $250 million to help parishes prevent damage from future disasters in November 2005. In accordance with the State Hazard Mitigation Program, LRA directed GOHSEP to distribute the first hazard mitigation funding available after hurricanes Katrina and Rita to parish governments. To access hazard mitigation funds through the state HMGP program, parishes submit proposals to GOHSEP. The funds, which are provided under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, require a 25 percent match from parish governments or state agencies. 

When projects are obligated by FEMA through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account. This allows the grantee, the GOHSEP, to draw down the funds as quickly as possible. The state may require additional information from the subgrantee before disbursing the funds.

In addition to this HMGP program, more than $1.2 billion in hazard mitigation funds will also be made available directly to homeowners through the Road Home, a separate program which provides direct assistance to Louisiana homeowners affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita for the damage to their homes. The state is seeking approval of this elevation funding from FEMA. When the state's application to distribute HMGP funds through the Road Home program is approved, homeowners will be contacted by The Road Home program with information regarding the next step.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. For more information about the LRA, visit lra.louisiana.gov.

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. 

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