''Fourth and Forward'': St. John the Baptist's recovery supported by federal funding
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. – The fourth year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina reflects a new chapter in local history books – a chapter that recovery partners from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) have coined "Fourth and Forward."
Last week, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate visited Louisiana to view recovery efforts. Statewide, FEMA has provided $14.6 billion in Public Assistance, Individual Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding over the last four years.
St. John the Baptist's own "Fourth and Forward" story, enabled by $28,856,769 in federal recovery dollars, features significant accomplishments to date and an ever increasing recovery momentum.
"Since Katrina and Rita's 2005 landfalls, FEMA has provided resources under our three program areas to reunite families, rebuild communities and reduce the risk of damages from future disasters in local communities such as St. John the Baptist Parish," said FEMA's Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office Acting Director Tony Russell. "Along with our state partners, we will continue to support St. John the Baptist's recovery efforts until their post-Katrina story accounts for their full restoration."
To help the residents of St. John the Baptist with their own personal recovery efforts, FEMA has provided $24,740,900 in Individuals and Households Program funding for Louisiana individuals and families, including $20,307,802 in housing assistance for rent, repairs and replacement housing and $4,433,098 in other needs assistance for such things as furniture, clothing and replacement vehicles.
At the height of the housing program, 497 temporary housing units were in service throughout the parish. Today, households are moving on to more permanent housing and 7 units remain.
On a larger scale, to support the overall rebuilding of St. John the Baptist, FEMA has provided $3,965,869 in Public Assistance Program grants, including $2,535,573 for recovery projects such as debris removal and emergency protective measures and $1,430,296 for permanent work to repair or rebuild public facilities within the community.
"The combined impacts of hurricanes Katrina and Rita figure as the largest disaster in U.S. history. On the fourth anniversary of these devastating storms, the national economic downturn has made a responsive and effective distribution of disaster recovery funding even more critical to Louisiana's recovery," said Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Paul Rainwater. "With the cooperation of our federal and state partners, the LRA continues to push these dollars to parishes like St. John the Baptist, in support of residents' and local governments' dedicated rebuilding and recovery efforts."
In addition, FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Program, which aims to help prevent future losses of lives and properties, has awarded $150,000 in federal funding for 1 planning grant.
"At the center of St. John the Baptist's 'Fourth and Forward' story are its parish officials, volunteers, business and community leaders and resilient residents whose vision and dedication for a brighter tomorrow is becoming a reality with the onset of Katrina's fourth anniversary," added Russell.
For more details on DHS and FEMA rebuilding efforts in Louisiana since January 2009, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/fema_louisiana_progress_report_august2009.pdf (PDF, 4 pages - 198 KB).
All data as of Aug. 14, 2009.
Created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the coordinating and planning body leading the most extensive rebuilding effort in American history. The central point for hurricane recovery in Louisiana, the LRA works closely with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and partners with state and federal agencies to oversee more than $20 billion worth of programs, speed the pace of rebuilding, remove hurdles and red tape and ensure that Louisiana recovers safer and stronger than before.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
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Editors: For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/2005katrina/index.shtm.