From: Office of the Governor   Filed 3/20/08  GCN

(BAY ST. LOUIS, Mississippi) – Governor Haley Barbour today was joined by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor to announce that $200 million in federal funds has been set aside for major recovery projects in Hancock County, “ground zero” for the destructive force of Hurricane Katrina.

The funds, which would be made available under the Community Development Block Grant program, would help rebuild the Hancock County Jail, finance extensive renovation of downtown Bay St. Louis, and four-lane parts of Highway 603. Other projects, such as the Valena C. Jones Facility/Boys and Girls Club, Waveland Little League Fields, Bay St. Louis Arts and Cultural Center, and the Pearlington Library and Gym, will also be eligible to apply, along with water/sewer projects, community centers, and rebuilding work at volunteer fire and rescue facilities around the county.

Governor Barbour said an action plan will be filed seeking the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approval for the funding, a necessary step in the process. He said he expects HUD to approve the plan.

“Hancock County sustained a significant loss of housing and infrastructure as well as losing nearly all its public facilities, so it is rightly known as ‘ground zero’ for Hurricane Katrina.  By designating this money we’re ensuring that even our hardest hit areas, like Waveland and Bay St. Louis, get the resources necessary to rebuild bigger and better than ever,” Governor Barbour said.

“I’d like to thank Senator Thad Cochran and Congressman Taylor for their aggressive efforts to secure federal funding for our coastal region and Senator Wicker for his positive work, first in the House of Representatives and now in the U.S. Senate, where he has called on Congress to increase its efforts to assist rebuilding the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Governor Barbour said.

“For Mississippians on the Gulf Coast, Katrina is more than one issue—it is every issue,” Sen. Wicker said.  “Nowhere is this more true than in Hancock County.  These funds will go a long way towards rebuilding basic infrastructure and helping Hancock County build back stronger than before.”

“These federal funds that are flowing through the state of Mississippi will help us in what has been a long journey to rebuild the area.  We are grateful for the assistance of Governor Barbour, and for Sen. Thad Cochran’s work to secure the funds.  This is one step in the recovery, but I am also aware that we still have a very long way to go,” said Rep. Taylor, whose Fourth Congressional District includes South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast.

To meet Hancock County’s unique needs, the State is making $200 million available to qualified projects in areas like Waveland, Bay St. Louis and Pearlington, which were devastated during Hurricane Katrina.  Eligible projects must apply to receive part of the CDBG funding; however, their applications must be approved by federal regulators at the Department of Housing and Urban Development before receiving financial assistance.