The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, Jul. 17, 2008 at CF Rowley Alternative School, 49 Madison Ave., in Chalmette to discuss alternatives that will upgrade the St. Bernard portion of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System to withstand surge from a storm event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year.
The meeting presentation will detail the Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Dupre Control Structures, Caernarvon Floodwall, Chalmette Loop Levee and the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal surge protection barrier as discussed in Individual Environmental Reports 8, 9, 10 and 11 Tier 2 Borgne.The meeting presentation will also briefly discuss the potential areas from which borrow material may be obtained (IER 25 and 26).
The meeting will begin with an open house at 6 p.m. during which Corps project managers and subject matter experts are on hand to answer questions citizens may have about proposed actions and alternatives under consideration.A presentation about the hurricane system begins at 7 p.m. and is followed by a discussion period.
Road Home
Latest Program Statistics
As of July 14, 2008
Total applications recorded:
185,106 (final)
Initial appointments held:
166,093 (final)
Eligible applicants:
155,739
Elevation only:
6,329
Sold home prior to application:
5,095
Benefit options selected:
141,875
Option 1 - 123,949
Option 2 - 10,076
Option 3 - 2,847
Decline benefits - 2,166
Delay benefit selection - 2,707
Completed applications:
129,355
Closed - 114,968
No Funding/Zero Awards - 12,221
Declined awards - 2,166
Total amount of awards disbursed:
$6..7 billion*
Average award disbursed:
$58,711*
New Orleans Rail
Hurricane Katrina almost derailed one of the most vital components of New Orleans' economy by destroying nearly a quarter of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad's (NOPBR) 100 miles of track. The state of Louisiana and FEMA officials have worked together over the past several months to commit funding to speed the return of the NOPBR.
The NOPBR provides switching and hauling services for the seven railroad lines-Amtrak, Burlington Northern Sante Fe, Canadian National, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific-that travel through New Orleans, transporting much needed products and goods around the country. Approximately 22,000 rail cars pass through the NOPBR daily.
"We have worked side by side with our state, federal and local partners to return this critical piece of infrastructure to New Orleans," said Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) Executive Director Paul Rainwater. "Railroads are historically important to our country and as the economy in south Louisiana continues to grow, so do the demands for transportation, including railroads."
New Orleans' railroad services are imperative for the country's delivery network of goods and services. It connects with the Port of New Orleans, one of the nation's busiest ports, so goods can be shipped from one port to several markets. The NOPBR also owns the Huey P. Long Bridge in Harahan and maintains the railroad portion of the bridge. Without NOPBR, shipments could not go across the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
"We're the spine of the transportation community for the city," said NOPBR Assistant Chief Engineer Bob Kollmar.
FEMA and the state of Louisiana recognize NOPBR's importance for the city's economy and have committed approximately $12.8 million to restore NOPBR to its pre-storm capacity and repair storm-related damages. In addition to track damage, Katrina also destroyed a sand tower, turntable and railroad signal crossings.
"Storm damages created a devastating blow to the Public Belt Railroad," said Acting Associate Deputy Administrator for FEMA's Gulf Coast Recovery Office Jim Stark. "Through our close coordination with the state and NOPBR, we are able to reimburse the Public Belt Railroad for all eligible repairs - repairs that should pay dividends for the local economy for years to come."
Many New Orleans businesses rely on NOPBR for their everyday operating functions. The storm-damaged tracks hindered certain businesses from shipping and receiving freight in an efficient, cost-effective manner through the NOPBR.
"Businesses and the economy can't fully recover until the Public Belt fully recovers," Kollmar said. "We know if we don't rebuild the rail lines, the businesses will be gone."
FEMA's rebuilding of NOPBR will not only bring it back to pre-storm capacity, but it will make the railroad stronger. For instance, one improvement is the laying of 70,000 tons of granite rocks for track foundations. Previously, NOPBR had laid crushed seashells for track foundations, which created sometimes soggy and unstable surfaces.
NOPBR will also be reimbursed for damages to its uptown facilities on Tchoupitoulas Street that occurred when the facilities were used by the California National Guard during the initial disaster response. The Guard's heavy vehicles put too much stress on the adjacent parking lot, so federal funds compensated NOPBR for it to be repaved. NOPBR was also compensated to restock its diesel fuel supply, which the Guard used to power its vehicles. This diesel fuel supply is the power source for NOPBR locomotives.
Most construction improvements to NOPBR should be completed in about a year, according to Kollmar.
"We'll have a much stronger railroad because of FEMA," he said. "By having a strong railroad, it allows us to serve these businesses. It provides tremendous opportunity for the local economy."
When project funds are obligated by FEMA through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a federal Smartlink account. Once the funds have reached this account the applicant can request reimbursement from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) for eligible work completed. Obligated funds may change over time as the project worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.
During his first day in office, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an Executive Order directing the LRA to be responsible for the state's actions with regard to FEMA's Public Assistance program. The LRA is working in conjunction with GOHSEP and its federal partners to identify ways to streamline the Public Assistance process and improve efficiency, with the ultimate goal of cutting in half the length of time that applications spend in the process.
The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations' buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.
(Press Release)
Bayoubuzz Note:Bayoubuzz contacted LRA to see if state public funds are involved.The spokesperson for LRA said she was not certain but to check with the Department of Transportation.See Louisiana Jindal Veto Session Needed
