Hurricane Katrina Mississippi Recovery Update: May 2008

Hurricane Katrina Mississippi Recovery Update: May 2008
From: FEMA Filed 5/30/07 GCN

Biloxi, Miss. – The following is a summary of Mississippi recovery efforts as of May 27, 2008:

Individual support continues with nearly $1.3 billion to individuals and families:

216,554 individuals and families have been approved for Housing Assistance totaling more than $857 million;
134,831 Mississippians have been approved for more than $415 million in Other Needs Assistance (ONA);
6,384 temporary housing units (travel trailers and mobile homes) in service. More than

36,000 units have been deactivated.

About 2,550 Mississippi families have been moved from FEMA temporary housing into a Mississippi Cottage. The Mississippi Cottage is a part of the Mississippi Alternative Housing Program, which is administered by MEMA and is funded by a $280 million federal grant. For more information about the program, visit www.mscottage.org.

An intra-agency agreement, directed by FEMA, has been working to clean up Mississippi’s coastal and inland waterways:

As of May 26, the U.S. Coast Guard has cleared more than 387,000 cubic yards of marine debris from the water since marine cleanup began May 2006 and 13 of 15 marine debris removal contracts are complete. Only two contract sites remain open including the final site in Hancock County under Operation Clean Sweep and the Wolf River Marsh Coastal wetlands area in Harrison County.

o Jackson County: 74,296 cubic yards

o Harrison County: 196,705 cubic yards

o Hancock County: 116,253 cubic yards

The entire marine debris operation is nearly 98% complete.
More than $63.3 million has been expended for marine debris removal. Due to the oversight and recommendation by the U.S. Coast Guard project officer and the FEMA Operations section, approximately $125 million of the $222 million obligated for the project has been de-obligated. Obligated funds can be adjusted if a project can be completed for less than the original project estimate.

More than $2.8 billion has been obligated in various Public Assistance (PA) categories:

More than $710 million obligated for land-based debris removal; more than $900 million in Direct Federal Assistance funds were obligated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the land-based debris removal mission.
To date, more than 46 million cubic yards of debris has been removed – that’s equal to a football field stacked approximately 4.9 miles high.
$815 million to repair public utilities;
$594 million to repair or replace public buildings;
$375 million for emergency protective measures;
$62 million to repair roads and bridges;
$1.3 million to repair water control devices such as ditches and irrigation channels.
$134 million to repair and restore public recreational facilities such as state parks;
$129 million to meet the costs of administering the PA grants.

MEMA administers PA funds. To date, MEMA has disbursed more than $1.4 billion to PA applicants for debris removal and rebuilding projects including bridges, public buildings and utilities.

Preparing today for tomorrow’s disasters:

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) brings together federal, state, and local governments to prepare communities for future events.
MEMA, as designated by the governor of Mississippi, administers the HMGP. MEMA provides eligible grant applicants with assistance in mitigation planning, project selection, application development and reimbursement.
Across the state, 251 jurisdictions have MEMA- and FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation plans.
MEMA has installed 1,671 Safe Rooms using more than $5 million in HMGP grants.
Specific efforts are being directed to non-profit rural water system and drainage projects. These projects will mitigate small and localized flooding.
The amount of funding available for the HMGP following a disaster is 7.5 percent of the total amount of federal assistance. More than $413 million in HMGP funds are available for Mississippi.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

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For more information on Mississippi’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.msema.org. For more information on the recovery of the entire Gulf Coast, visit www.fema.gov/gulfcoastrecovery.