Supplemental Funding Available for Private Property Debris Removal in St. Bernard Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved supplemental funding for private property debris removal from qualified properties in St. Bernard Parish.

Debris removal from private property is generally not eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance funding. FEMA may help fund removal if debris on residential and private business property is so widespread that public health, safety and the economic recovery of the community is threatened, but it must be approved in advance by FEMA.

Supplemental funding under the PA program is provided to the state and then forwarded to its eligible agencies, local governments, certain private nonprofit organizations and federally recognized tribal governments. Under the program, FEMA obligates funds to the state for 75 percent of eligible costs, while the applicant covers the remaining 25 percent.

Eligible removal includes the clearance, removal, and/or disposal of storm-generated debris such as trees, sand and gravel, building materials, wreckage, vehicles and personal property.

Ineligible debris includes debris form vacant lots, forests, heavily wooded areas and debris on agricultural lands used for crops or livestock. Construction debris used in the reconstruction of disaster-damaged improved property is ineligible.

For debris removal to be eligible the work must be necessary to:

• Eliminate an immediate threat to lives, public health and safety,
• Eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public and private property when the measures are cost effective, or
• Ensure the economic recovery of the affected community to the benefit of the community-at-large.

Four parishes are now approved for funding for private property debris removal: Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. John. Requests from other parishes for this type of assistance are being reviewed.

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.

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.

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.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.