[StBernard] LRA Rita Task Force to Hold First Meeting in Lake Charles

[Westley Annis]

LRA Rita Task Force to Hold First Meeting in Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES, La. (June 12, 2008) - The recently reactivated Louisiana Recovery Authority Rita Task Force will hold its first meeting Friday, June 13 at the Lake Charles Civic Center at 1:00 p.m. Updates will be given on housing, the state Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, natural resources and FEMA Public Assistance. At the conclusion of the meeting, task force members will join Governor Bobby Jindal at 3:30 p.m. for a press conference on hurricane preparedness. 

WHEN: 1:00 p.m., Friday, June 13, 2008

WHAT: LRA Rita Task Force Meeting

WHERE: Lake Charles Civic Center, 1st Floor Exhibition Hall

WHO: LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater, members of the LRA Rita Task Force, representatives from the LRA, Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, local and state officials. 

The new Rita Task Force includes recovery leaders from both Louisiana and Texas. The membership of the task force will include representatives of the following recovery sectors: economic development, workforce development, fisheries, coastal restoration, housing, education and non-profit organizations. Representatives of both the Louisiana and Texas state legislature will also serve as task force members. 

When Hurricane Rita made landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border on September 24, 2005, it was a Category 3 hurricane. Winds in excess of 120 miles per hour pushed a 20-foot storm surge onto land. The devastation it left behind made it the third most expensive natural disaster in United States history.

Click here to view the agenda. <http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/agenda/061308RitaTaskForceAgenda.pdf> 

** Meeting is open to the public. Meeting minutes and agendas are posted on the LRA Web site as the become available. 

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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