St. Bernard Parish Continues Rebuilding Key Infrastructure with Additional FEMA Grants

NEW ORLEANS – The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced nearly $13.6 million in additional funding to repair sewage systems, canal crossings and roads in St. Bernard Parish damaged by Hurricane Katrina.  

“These projects are a result of the continued partnership between St. Bernard Parish and FEMA,” said Parish President David Peralta. “The additional monies will help fund major infrastructure projects and improve the quality of life for the residents of St. Bernard Parish.”

When Hurricane Katrina hit, parish-owned infrastructure sustained damages from flooding and storm surge. The sanitary sewer system was overburdened from storm debris and flooding of manholes. Canal crossings were inundated and scoured by fast-flowing debris deposits. The base material under paved roads was initially compromised by the flooding, and then further destroyed by heavy trucks and machinery brought in to clear debris.

“Basic public infrastructure throughout St. Bernard Parish was cracked, broken and sometimes left nearly unusable following Hurricane Katrina,” said FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office Director Mike Womack. “Repairs and new construction have become a way of life since then – a pathway to our complete recovery. FEMA is committed to working side by side with the state and parish officials to ensure all related costs are covered.”

The recent series of FEMA grants work to continue the repairs to this critical infrastructure, including:

• $10.2 million for work on the sanitary sewage collection system;
• $2.2 million for roadway repairs, including materials testing and architecture and engineering services;
• $697,071 for Dravo force main, a sanitary sewer force on the 40 Arpent Canal Levee; and
• $504,840 for Rosetta and Lena canal crossings at 20 Arpent Canal.

FEMA has provided $474 million for water, sewer, roads and bridges in St. Bernard Parish, part of more than $1.8 billion granted to date to the parish for damages caused by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.

Editors: For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/latro.

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When FEMA approves projects through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are made available to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, who disburses them to the applicant for eligible work completed.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

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.