Area awarded $129M by FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given $129 million to the Tri-parishes as relief money for hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which struck southeast Louisiana in 2005, according to figures released by the agency in late December.

Most of the money came in the form of individual assistance to households. The rest was given as Public Assistance Program funding, which pays for public works repairs, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program money.

The largest amount, $53 million, was granted to Terrebonne Parish residents for housing expenses. FEMA provided temporary housing for 1,072 families in Terrebonne, with $38.7 million going for rent, repairs and replacement housing and $14.8 million to replace personal property, like furniture, clothing and vehicles.

The second-highest amount, $24 million, was granted to Lafourche Parish in housing expenses. The agency provided temporary housing for 462 families in Lafourche. The breakdown for the parish was $17.7 million for housing assistance and $6.3 million to replace personal property.

Though its population is much smaller than Lafourche’s, FEMA still provided temporary housing for 316 families in St. Mary Parish, with $11.7 million going to rent and replacement housing and $2.7 million to replace personal property.

Nine out of 10 families in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have moved on to permanent housing after Katrina and Rita, while eight out of 10 families have obtained permanent housing in St. Mary Parish.

Public Assistance Program funding from FEMA is divided into emergency work and permanent work categories. Emergency work includes money mainly for debris removal and emergency protective measures. Permanent work includes funds for repairing buildings, roads, utilities, bridges, recreational facilities and water-control facilities.

“Public assistance funding is mostly for debris removal, but it’s also to repair roads,” said Terrebonne Parish Manager Pat Gordon.

In the Tri-parishes, Lafourche received the most public assistance funding for Katrina and Rita with $15.9 million. Terrebonne received $7.5 million and St. Mary $4.6 million.

For emergency and permanent work, Lafourche was granted $8.2 million and $7.7 million, respectively. Terrebonne received $5.3 million for emergency work and $2.2 million for permanent work. St. Mary received $3.9 million for emergency work and $700,000 for permanent work.

FEMA did not list all the projects in the Tri-parishes that were funded through the Public Assistance Program, but the information stated that $381,539 was spent on Katrina-related debris removal in Lafourche and $46,783 for the same project in St. Mary Parish. Terrebonne spent $77,377 to repair the Chauvin and Klondyke bridges and the pontoon swing bridge on the Falgoust Canal.

The Tri-parishes received $9.69 million for Katrina and Rita from FEMA in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, used mainly to buy out homes in flood-prone areas and to elevate homes.

Terrebonne was granted the most in HMGP money with $6.49 million. The parish received $5.1 million from FEMA in hazard mitigation funding shortly after Hurricane Rita. The bulk of that money was used to buy out 33 flood-prone properties mostly in Chauvin, Theriot and Dulac and some in the Houma area.

All the residences were on FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Programs’s severe repetitive loss list of residential structures with excessive flood loss. The properties will become open space. The parish will be responsible for their upkeep.

Lafourche Parish was granted $2 million in hazard mitigation money. FEMA awarded $397,000 to Lafourche in October 2007 to buy three properties on the severe repetitive loss list.

Mitigation projects are selected by each state and, after approval from FEMA, individual parishes purchase the homes.

St. Mary was granted $1.2 million in hazard mitigation money.

In addition, a total of $300,000 was awarded to Terrebonne and St. Mary parish governments from FEMA in planning grants. The city of Thibodaux received a similar $300,000 grant.

According to the agency’s figures, FEMA has given $13.7 billion statewide for Katrina and Rita recovery. Of that, $7.3 billion went for public assistance funding, the rest for individual assistance and hazard mitigation. The agency awarded $2 billion statewide in 2008 for Katrina and Rita recovery.

Originally, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness was the lead state agency working with FEMA on recovery efforts. That role was transferred to the Louisiana Recovery Authority in January 2008.