FEMA Awards $13.7 Million Grant to Plaquemines Parish for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. – Plaquemines Parish will receive a $13.7 million federal grant to help ensure the parish’s continued economic recovery following Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday.

The FEMA grant, totaling $13,748,715, helps reimburse the parish for work to remove nearly 15,480 cubic yards of vegetative debris from a chokepoint in the main drainage canal.

“This grant will provide a significant boost to Plaquemines Parish’s efforts to recover from Hurricane Isaac,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “The funds will help restore functionality to the drainage system and therefore eliminate a threat to public health and safety.”

The FEMA grant covers the federal share of the parish’s eligible costs for the work. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant pay the remaining 25 percent.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the $73.2 million in total Public Assistance recovery dollars approved for Plaquemines Parish since the Aug. 29, 2012, declaration for Hurricane Isaac. Statewide, Public Assistance grants total $171.2 million.

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.