Ten Years after Katrina, FEMA has Obligated Over $3.2 billion in Public Assistance

BILOXI, Miss. — More than $3.2 billion in FEMA funding has been allocated to Mississippi for Public Assistance after Hurricane Katrina. FEMA’s Public Assistance program includes grants for the repair and rebuilding of public infrastructure, such as bridges, roads, schools, hospitals and sewer treatment facilities. The PA program also provides funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures, such as search and rescue operations, temporary roads and overtime for other emergency workers, including police and firefighters. 

Some of the PA projects in Mississippi included repairing and rebuilding the Biloxi Civic Center and Library; the Hancock County Courthouse and Medical Center; the Waveland City Hall and Municipal Complex; and St. Martin School in Jackson County. The famous Biloxi Lighthouse, which came to represent the resiliency of the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Katrina, was also repaired with funding from FEMA’s PA program.

For more information on PA recovery projects in Mississippi, please go to FEMA’s Revitalizing Mississippi Communities.

The PA program normally reimburses local, state and tribal governments and qualified nonprofit organizations for a certain share of eligible costs. However, because of the magnitude of Katrina, FEMA covered 100 percent of allowable project expenses.

The largest PA project funded by FEMA in Mississippi after Katrina is the repair of a large section of Biloxi’s water and sewer treatment system. After Katrina, the system was out of operation for weeks. It was brought back into working condition with generators and temporary bypass pumps to transfer wastewater to treatment plants. City officials decided to use the $363 million in eligible FEMA repair and rebuilding grants toward the total cost of improving and upgrading the system. Repairs include consolidating and hardening the pump stations along the beachfront to withstand future storms.

Following is a breakdown of Public Assistance funding by sector.

Health Care: More than $50 million has been obligated to rebuild and improve hospitals and other health care facilities in disaster-affected areas. Over $40.6 million was used to restore parts of Hancock Medical Center in the town of Bay St. Louis which serves a population of approximately 44,000.

Education: More than $334 million has been allocated for K-12 public schools and universities. Some of these schools, such as the St. Martin school in Jackson County, combined the funding with other sources to build new state-of-the-art educational facilities and a public safe room to protect the community from future disasters.

Public Works/Utilities: Nearly $901.6 million has been obligated. This includes more than $363 million to repair and rebuild part of Biloxi’s sewer and water treatment system and nearly $99 million for the sewer and water treatment system in Gulfport. More than $36 million funded the repair of the wastewater treatment facility in Diamondhead.

Roads and Bridges: More than $84 million was allocated for repair and rebuilding.

Public Safety and Protection: Over $33 million has been obligated for the restoration of fire and police stations, courthouses and corrections facilities. Some public safety buildings, such as the Pass Christian police station, were rebuilt using FEMA 361 standards for public safe rooms to protect first responders in future disasters.

Historic Structures: Over $129 million was obligated for restoration of historic properties, such as the town of Waveland’s Civic Center, the Carnegie Library in Gulfport and the Old Brick House in Biloxi.

Debris Removal/Emergency Protective Measures: More than $1.15 billion was allocated to clear debris and reimburse overtime hours for emergency workers, including police and firefighters.

###

 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.