FEMA Awards $3 Million to Louisiana Department of Transportation for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will receive a $3 million federal grant to reimburse the costs it incurred clearing debris, including boats, from public roads after Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Thursday.

The $3,085,418 grant covers the removal and disposal of debris, including:

• 77,400 cubic yards of vegetative debris (a cubic yard is about the size of a washing machine)
• 37,200 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris
• 55,200 cubic yards of marsh grass
• 7,000 cubic yards of hazardous household waste
• 35,000 cubic yards of sediment
• 47 boats deposited in state roadways

“Debris removal is an essential step in disaster recovery,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “By restoring access to schools, businesses and recreation, this work provided Louisianians with an important step in their journey back to normal.”

Between Aug. 26 and Sept. 10, Hurricane Isaac produced high winds, rain and flooding throughout the state. The FEMA Public Assistance grant, totaling $3,085,418, helps reimburse the department during the Hurricane Isaac response and recovery.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the $222.9 million in total Public Assistance recovery dollars approved for the state since the Aug. 29, 2012, disaster declaration.

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Louisiana it is the state’s responsibility to manage the funds, which includes making disbursements to local jurisdictions and organizations that incurred costs.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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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.