$13.6M awarded for drainage plans

The Louisiana Office of Community Development and Disaster Recovery has issued approximately $13.6 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to Terrebonne Parish for the financing of three new drainage pump stations in Houma.

The funding package is part of a $1 billion disaster recovery grant issued by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“When Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit Terrebonne Parish in 2008, the inundation of flood water from the storm surge and high winds caused these outdated pumping stations to operate at a reduced capacity because of concerns that increased vibration would result in catastrophic failures. The construction of these new stations will provide better protection against flooding and future storm events,” said CDDR Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater in a news release.

The funding award was designated as having $4.9 million assigned for the Summerfield Pump Station, $4.7 million for the Baroid Pump Station and just less than $4 million for the Ashland Drainage Pump Station.

“Drainage is a top priority in Terrebonne Parish due to subsidence, coastal erosion, proximity to the coast and storm surges,” said Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet. “We are pleased [to have received] approval of these projects so that we can now implement the projects contained in our hurricane recovery action plan.”

Claudet said that a focus on levees and pump stations is major part of the parish’s overall recovery efforts.