According to US Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana will receive more than $16 million in federal funds for recovery needs associated with Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee breaks in 2005. The Department of Homeland Security will distribute these funds to the State of Louisiana’s Facility Planning and Control, the St. Tammany Parish School Board, the city of Slidell, Jefferson Parish, Mount Carmel Academy and the Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division (LSUHCSD) Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans.
“More than three years after the GulfCoast was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the levee breaks that followed, rebuilding efforts in the region are still a work in progress,” Sen. Landrieu said. “The people of the GulfCoast have patiently waited for assistance to restore schools, homes, hospitals, businesses and other critical infrastructure. As the commencement of the 111th Congress approaches, I will remain focused on delivering federal recovery funds to Louisiana and ensuring that the region continues to build smarter and stronger.”
The $16,804,035 in grants will go toward the following:
· Mount CarmelAcademy — $5,780,904.08. Funds will go toward a consolidated project that will repair extensive damage to the campus of Mount CarmelAcademy.
· LSU HCSD Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans — $3,800,000: Funds will pay for the necessary costs for the installation of a modular dental clinic.
· Jefferson Parish — $2,868,856: Funds will go toward repairing damage to doors, walls, floors, ceiling, fire and alarm systems and electrical and mechanical systems at the Jefferson Parish Pontiff Playground Gymnasium.
· St. Tammany Parish School Board — $2,164,100: Funds will support the costs of repairs to the main building at SalmenHigh School.
· City of Slidell — $1,098,810: Funds will go toward the cost of cleaning storm drains that were inundated with debris as a result of storm surge and flooding from Hurricane Katrina.
· State of Louisiana Facility Planning and Control — $1,091,365: Funds will pay for repair work to the drainage system and waterlines to the CityPark.
LRA
The state of Louisiana has officially published its action plan for how it will use federal allocations on recovery and rebuilding from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
The board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority in November approved the plan to be published for its federally required public comment period. The state will accept public comments until 5 p.m. on December 10, 2008.
Citizens, community leaders and elected officials can access the plans and submit comments online by visiting http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/dractionplans.htm and opening "Action Plan for the Utilization of CDBG Funds in Response to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike." A copy of the plans can be requested by calling (225) 219-6900.
Mailing them to Disaster Recovery Unit, P.O. Box 94095, 70804-9095, Attn: Paul Catrou;
Faxing them to the attention of Paul Catrou at (225) 219-9605..
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week allocated $438 million to Louisiana for Gustav and Ike recovery. This announcement is the first allocation of funds from the $6.1 billion pool of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds Congress set aside earlier this fall for states affected by disasters in 2008, including Louisiana and Texas for hurricane damage and states in the Midwest for flooding. The state anticipates that HUD will allocate the remaining funds after the start of the New Year.
To use federal CDBG funds, states must present action plans for federal approval. The LRA board will consider final approval of the plan, including this first round of funding allocations, in December before forwarding the plan to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for approval.
The state will set aside 25 percent of its total allocation for projects dealing with rental housing, agriculture and fisheries recovery, and hurricane protection. The bulk of the funds will be allocated to the parishes based on their level of damage. Parishes will select from a menu of options and decide how they will spend the funds.
Anticipated areas of funding include housing and infrastructure repair, hurricane protection and coastal restoration, agriculture and fisheries recovery and economic development.
Preliminary damage estimates from Gustav and Ike in Louisiana show:
Approximately 12,000 homes flooded;
Agricultural losses total approximately $750 million;
Infrastructure damages total more than $1 billion;
Homes suffering some level of damage total 150,000 to 300,000;
K-12 and secondary educational facilities received $100-$150 million in damages; and
Business losses total approximately $2.5-$5 billion.
George Rodrigue
The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is proud to announce the installation of a very important art exhibition of native-born artist George Rodrigue.As a tribute to Rodrigue’s immense commitment to the rebuilding and revitalization of the GulfCoast following Hurricane Katrina, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel will dedicate a recently renovated first floor meeting space in the hotel as the “Rodrigue Gallery” at a private opening night reception with the artist on Friday, December 5, 2008.The six-week exhibit will include several rare, one-of-a-kind pieces from Rodrigue’s Blue Dog series, as well as a new, never-before-seen collection entitled “Reflections of New Orleans.”The public will have the opportunity to view “Reflections of New Orleans” through the exterior facing windows on Canal Street.The pieces will be lit at night for the ultimate reflection of the artist’s Louisiana spirit.
Army Corps
On Thursday, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is having a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) surge barrier structure.Highlights of the event will include remarks from Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, Hon. John Paul Woodley, Jr. and Chief of Engineers, Lt. General Robert Van Antwerp along with other Corps and local political leaders.
Mary Matalin
The Bureau of Governmental Research is pleased to announce that
Mary Matalin, renowned political consultant and analyst, will be the
guest speaker at BGR’s 2008 Annual Luncheon. Sponsored by
Superior Energy Services, the luncheon will be held on Monday,
December 8, in the New Orleans Marriott’s Grand Ballroom.
Ms. Matalin’s experience in politics, public affairs, crisis management
and media spans three decades and multiple venues. She has served
Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
and co-authored the best selling political campaign book All’s Fair:
Love, War and Running for President, with her husband, James
Carville.
Ms. Matalin’s most recent book, Letters to My Daughters was named a
Book of the Month Club selection and made The New York Times and
The Washington Post best-seller lists. Currently, she is the Editor-in-
Chief of Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint at
Simon & Schuster.
As BGR’s only fundraising event, the Annual Luncheon supports BGR's local public policy research and reporting. Luncheon tables of ten are available for $1,000. Individual reservations are available for $100 per person.
For more information or reservations, visit BGR’s web site, www.bgr.org, or call Pamela
Lestage at 504/525-4152, ext. 108.
BGR is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization. Since its founding in 1932, it has been dedicated to informed public policy-making and the effective use of public resources in the Greater New Orleans area.
