[StBernard] LRA Board Approves $30 Million to Create Statewide Generator Program

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Tue Apr 22 09:18:14 EDT 2008


LRA Board Approves $30 Million to Create Statewide Generator Program

Board also approves funding for Recovery Corps, parish plans


BATON ROUGE, La. (April 21, 2008) - The state will use $30 million of its allocation of hazard mitigation funds to create a statewide program to purchase generators for critical facilities statewide under a plan approved by the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Board of Directors Monday.

Louisiana was allocated $1.47 billion of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which is used for parish mitigation activities and for homeowner elevations in tandem with the Road Home.

"We learned some tough lessons during both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater. "The money we are allocating is a recognition that we must not forget these lessons learned. We must act to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated the next time we face a disaster and back up generators are an essential part of this mitigation plan."

The LRA, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Office of Community Development have determined that a portion of this HMGP allocation can now be reallocated to dedicate funds to prevent losses by purchasing generators for use during future emergencies. Parish and local government leaders had expressed concern to the LRA and GOHSEP that they need generators to mitigate against future storms and to more quickly restore services when disasters occur.

A congressionally mandated study conducted for FEMA revealed that every dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of $4 in future loss. Keeping critical facilities operable during and after a disaster enables first responders to effectively carry out their duties that in turn will save other critical facilities.

Each parish will receive $100,000 plus $5.10 per person, based on pre-Katrina census estimates, to purchase generators and generator-related equipment, including hook-ups, gas tanks and electrical wiring and transfer switches. The plan also calls for a statewide generator farm that would provide mobile generators for use in disaster situations.

* Click here to see a chart with each parish's allocation under the plan. <http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/April08/GeneratorParishAllocation.pdf>

The state has submitted the plan to FEMA and it is awaiting approval. The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and the Legislature must also approve the state's plan for the program. FEMA has said that a generator program is an allowable use of HMGP funds.

The LRA Board also approved a resolution calling on GOHSEP, LRA and FEMA to work together in the next 30 days to determine if HMGP funds can be used to pay for technological operations equipment and systems for first responders in Louisiana's hurricane-affected areas, including developing better communication systems for first responders and Urban Search and Rescue teams.

Funding for Human Recovery

In other action, the Board approved a resolution recommending the Governor and Legislature approve a plan to reallocate $260,000 Louisiana Family Recovery Corps from Social Services Block Grant funds originally budgeted for monitoring and oversight. The money will be used to provide services to FEMA-ineligible citizens who require recovery assistance. The LRA is working with the Recovery Corps, other state agencies and FEMA to prevent further homelessness in the state as residents transition out of trailers.

The State of Louisiana was allocated $220,901,534 in supplemental SSBG funds to meet the social service, behavioral health and health care needs of people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Allocations in the state were approved by the Legislature and administered by the Department of Social Services' Office of Community Services. The $260,000 in SSBG funds will not be required for monitoring and oversight.

Approval of East Baton Rouge Recovery Plan

The Board also approved the East Baton Rouge Parish plan, meaning the parish is now eligible for $311,944 in aid to implement this plan. Should the additional $500 million allocated to the program win HUD approval, the parish would stand to receive a total of $1,123,145.

Parishes must present long-term recovery plans to the LRA board, whose approval triggers aid for the parish. So far, the LRA has approved plans accounting for more than 99 percent of the original $200 million allocation.

East Baton Rouge Parish plan projects:

* Construct scattered-site mixed income housing
* Initiate CDC technical assistance
* Create Harmony Family Transitional Recovery Services Center
* Construct clinical research building
* Expand air cargo and industrial park

The state's Long Term Community Recovery Program provides funds to support implementation of local long-term recovery plans in the most heavily impacted communities in the state. Funds from this program will be distributed among parishes in the most heavily impacted areas of the state according to a formula that is based on estimated housing and infrastructure damages inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

* Click here to view a chart of proposed allocations. <http://www.lra.louisiana.gov/assets/Dec07/APA19LTCRAllocations.pdf>

Inaugural Meeting

Monday was the first LRA board meeting for new House Speaker Pro Tempore Karen Carter Peterson, Senator Cheryl Gray, who serves as the Senate President Pro Tempore's designee and new board member and LaPlace native Jas Gill.

Gill is a retired executive in the chemical industry who has served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Louisiana Chemical Association. Gill also serves as a board member of Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Monday also marked Robin Keegan's first meeting as Deputy Director of the LRA. Keegan replaces the authority's original deputy director Adam Knapp, who recently left to lead the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce.

Keegan is a New Orleans native who returned to Louisiana to serve as director of economic and workforce development policy for the LRA in the summer of 2006. In this role, she worked with state partners to develop a $350 million portfolio of economic and workforce programs to assist in meeting immediate economy recovery priorities. Prior to her work with the LRA, Keegan was the deputy director of the Center for an Urban Future, a nonpartisan policy organization dedicated to independent, fact-based research about critical economic and workforce issues affecting New York's future.

House Bill 622

Rainwater also briefed the board on House Bill 622 by House Speaker Jim Tucker, which rewrites the LRA's enabling legislation, reducing the size of the LRA's board from 33 to 17 members and formalizing responsibilities given to the LRA under the new administration.

This bill gives the LRA oversight of the Public Assistance program, the Louisiana Cottages program and the Road Home. It broadens the LRA's responsibilities to include implementation and rewrites the law so that the LRA's Executive Director answers directly to the LRA Board and Governor and takes direction from both.

HB 622 is scheduled for a vote in the House today.

* For a copy of resolutions and presentations, visit http://lra.louisiana.gov/meetings.html <http://lra.louisiana.gov/meetings.html> .

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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