Mayor C. Ray Nagin will travel to Zhengzhou, China on Sunday, where he will join more than 400 Mayors from China and cities worldwide in the International Mayor's Forum on Tourism on April 9-11. The conference is a platform for city leaders to discuss the future of world tourism.
Mayor Nagin was nominated to attend the conference by Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB). Perry is a member of the Travel Industry Association's, "Chairman's Circle," an elite group of tourism leaders representing the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s tourism marketing organizations, hotels, theme parks and other facets of the hospitality industry.
“To have Mayor Nagin representing New Orleans is a wonderful opportunity not only for tourism, the city's leading industry, but for the bigger picture with regard to economic development for our entire region," said Perry. "Increased opportunities to develop such partnerships can only result in more travel to New Orleans from the Asian market, which is vital to our continued success in international tourism, and also keeps New Orleans top-of-mind as one of the great destinations in the world."
The Chinese forum follows a recent agreement between the United States and China that will allow Chinese nationals easier access to the U.S. for tourism.
Mayor Nagin will be joined by a small contingent from New Orleans, including Lisa Ponce de Leon, the city's Director of International Relations, and Erin Butler-Mueller, Commercial officer at the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center. During his trip, he will visit two other tourism-driven cities: Beijing (host of this year's Olympics), and Shanghai.
“As the birthplace of jazz and a city with huge investment opportunities, New Orleans is an excellent place for Chinese citizens to visit," Mayor Nagin said. "I look forward to shining a spotlight on our continued recovery efforts and several other of our most valuable assets, including our port and rail lines."
Mayor Nagin’s six-day trip will include private meetings with Chinese officials who are working in areas of investment and distribution, and panel discussions on topics of conservation, emergency preparedness and tourism development. On April 11, the Mayor will tour the Port of Shanghai. As part of its recovery efforts, New Orleans is paying particular attention to its premier port so that it can fully embrace opportunities presented by the historic expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014.
Health and Hospitals
Over the next two weeks, employees from the Department of Health and Hospitals – Office of Public Health and agency partners will be visiting communities throughout Louisiana to educate citizens firsthand about how to prepare for emergency scenarios.
The effort, called “Operation Prepare,” aims to help citizens in vulnerable areas get prepared for an emergency.Emergency preparedness information will be distributed to assist residents in planning and remaining safe.Nurses will also be on hand to perform blood pressure checks and offer a variety of health-related information.
“Disasters usually strike when it’s least expected, which is why it’s so critical that residents create emergency readiness plans for their families now to be prepared for different urgent situations,”
said Dr. Rony Francois, assistant secretary for the Office of Public Health.“Hurricane season is only two months away, and with two years of fairly quiet seasons behind us, we don’t want people to begin letting their guard down.”
April 4 - Lake Charles Area
DHH-OPH Regional Office
911 Hodges St.
Lake Charles, La.
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
April 5 - Baton Rouge Area
West Baton Rouge Parish Health Unit
685 Louisiana Ave.
Port Allen, La.
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
April 5 - Monroe Area
Ouachita Parish Health Unit
1650 Desiard St.
Monroe, La.
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
April 10 - Hammond Area
Greater TurnerChapelChurch
831 Turner Chapel Rd.
Greensburg, La.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
April 11 - Alexandria Area
FirstBaptistChurch
911 Main St.
Colfax, La.
9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
April 11-12 - New Orleans Area
Louisiana Superdome
1500 Poydras St.
New Orleans, La.
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. each day
In the Lafayette and Shreveport areas, Operation Prepare will be taken door-to-door to elderly residents in Vermilion, Bossier and Red River parishes in partnership with Meals on Wheels.
For more information on Operation Prepare, contact Ken Pastorick, public information officer for the Office of Public Health, at (225)
Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced six new appointments and four reappointments to the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board.
The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board provides funding for research projects that help analyze trends in the industry and assist in marketing for the grain industry.
The board is composed of ten members appointed by the governor and subject to Senate confirmation. Five members are soybean producers and were nominated by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. Three members were nominated by the Louisiana Soybean Association and are also soybean producers. Two members were nominated by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and are producers of wheat, corn or grain sorghum. Jerry Hunter, Donald Marshall, Raymond Schexnayder, Jr. and Darrell Vandeven were reappointed to the board.
Appointments to the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board:
Jules K. Bordelon, of Moreauville
Charles Cannatella, of Melville
Leo Franchebois, of Opelousas
Jerry Hunter, of Delhi
Donald Marshall, of Ferriday
Joey Olivier, of Arnaudville
Carlos Polotozla, of Melville
Raymond Schexnayder, Jr., of Ventress
Robert Thevis, of Simmesport
Darrell Vandeven, of St. Joseph
Press Release from LRA
One month after the implementation of the new Express Pay System, the state has paid nearly $102 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance funds to local applicants. The new program, administered by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), has reduced the wait time for local governments to receive reimbursements to less than a week.
"We continue to look for common sense solutions to increase the flow of recovery dollars to local governments," said LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater "By reducing the time local governments have to wait for reimbursements from the state we are doing our part to ensure the return of long-term, brick and mortar infrastructure to south Louisiana."
Since March 3, the launch date of the Express Pay System, Public Assistance applicants have requested more than $146 million and the state has paid $102 million of requested funds, a nearly 70 percent disbursement rate with an average of just six days for reimbursement. Previously the payment process averaged between 45 and 60 days.
Prior to the Express Pay program the weekly average of state payouts was approximately $20 million; with the addition of the Express Pay System, as an alternate process, weekly payouts have been increased by 90 percent to $38 million.
"The Express Pay Program has given the applicants the ability to move forward with projects in a more timely manner, as reimbursement time has been decreased by more than 70 percent." said Mark Riley, Assistant Deputy Director, Disaster Recovery, Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "We are very pleased with the results we have seen within the first month of implementing the program."
Upon receipt of a local applicant's Reimbursement Request Form (RRF) and other supporting documentation, GOHSEP applies an expedited review process to the applicant's claim and reimburses the applicant within 10 to 14 business days.
"Communities have been making hard decisions about what and how to rebuild their infrastructure, and the Express Pay System is helping speed the process to implement their rebuilding plans," said Jim Stark, FEMA's Acting Associate Deputy Administrator for Gulf Coast Recovery. "These initiatives by LRA and GOHSEP illustrate their commitment to ensuring all eligible Public Assistance monies reach cities and parishes where it is so needed."
All FEMA Public Assistance Project Worksheets are paid up to 90 percent of the obligated amount, with the remaining 10 percent held as retainer until a detail review of the final request for reimbursement on the project has been completed.
Gov. Jindal charged the Louisiana Recovery Authority and GOHSEP with streamlining the Public Assistance process and speeding up payments to local applicants. The LRA and GOHSEP worked closely with FEMA to determine how local applicants could be paid within 10 to 14 days.
While the time period for reimbursements from the Public Assistance program has been reduced, the state's internal controls, which must ensure that costs are allowable under federal law, are still in place. The Express Pay System has the support and backing of the Legislative Auditor and is being implemented to improve efficiencies in government.
FEMA's Public Assistance program works with state and local governments and certain private non-profit organizations to fund recovery measures such as the rebuilding of buildings, roads, bridges and water and sewer plants.
Project funds are obligated by FEMA through the Public Assistance program. Once the funds are obligated by FEMA, the applicant must request reimbursement from GOHSEP for eligible work completed. Obligated funds may change over time as the project is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.
