[StBernard] LRA Leadership Thanks Chairman Powell for his Service to the Gulf Coast

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Fri Feb 29 18:33:03 EST 2008


LRA Leadership Thanks Chairman Powell for his Service to the Gulf Coast

BATON ROUGE, La. (February 29, 2008) - The Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) leadership issued the following statements on the resignation of Donald Powell, the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding:

"Since his initial appointment as the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, the people of Louisiana have had a champion in Don Powell," said LRA Chairman Norman Francis. "He answered the call to serve the people of this region. He has helped ensure historic federal investments in Louisiana, push for safer rebuilding practices and maintain accountability to the American people. I am, personally, grateful for his commitment to our recovery efforts."

"In the years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast, I have seen recovery from many different levels - working first at the local level in Lake Charles and later at the state level for the LRA and in Congress with Senator Landrieu - and I can truly say that Chairman Powell never wavered in his commitment to rebuilding Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast," said Paul Rainwater, the LRA's executive director. "We thank him for his dedicated service and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

"We hope the White House will quickly appoint his permanent replacement and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the leadership of Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding as Louisiana seeks to streamline its recovery, speed the pace of rebuilding and ensure continued transparency in the process," Rainwater said.

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 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.

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